Amy Dowden Reveals The ‘Traumatising’ Health Discovery She Faced Before Her Mastectomy
Amy Dowden was diagnosed with grade three breast cancer in May 2023 (Image: YOUTUBE/BREAST CANCER UNCOVERED)
Amy Dowden has admitted she feared she “couldn’t go through it again” following a “traumatising” test result amid her battle with breast cancer.
The Strictly Come Dancing professional was first diagnosed with grade three breast cancer in May 2023. Amy, 35, who lost her grandma to the disease, subsequently underwent two mastectomies, the second of which took place in November last year. Now, she is set to make a eagerly-anticipated return to the Strictly dance floor later this year and is determined to press on with her career.
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But in the meantime has spoken candidly about her health on the Breast Cancer Uncovered Podcast. The Caerphilly-born star was joined by breast surgeon Naren Basu as the pair discussed the moment a biopsy result left her with grave concerns about her health.
“I got over my treatment and I just wanted to get my life back,” Amy explained. “I wanted to get my career back on the go again but then I went for my test and it came back that they wanted to investigate further… I was just traumatised.”
She continued by sharing that she had been routinely carrying out checks on her body and had been pleased with her progress – meaning the news from her doctors left her terrified that she would be subjected to chemotherapy once again. “I remember the night after that phone call they said they want to do a biopsy… I went to a Girls Aloud concert,” Amy added.
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“It was the big Sarah [Harding] tribute, who they lost and she was so young. I remember Kimberley [Walsh] looking down on me literally on stage and she could see I was in floods of tears.”
The pair subsequently spoke backstage, where a visibly emotional Amy confided in the singer. “As a dancer your career is already short-lived – like a footballer – and I had already felt I had been robbed of so much,” Amy contemplated. “But also we had learned of more family history and that scared me… I want to be a mum and I had already had hormone-fed cancer, which was in the back of my mind.”
Amy also confessed that even though she “knew the science behind it”, it did little to spare her from sleepless nights and crippling anxiety. “I decided that the right thing to do was get rid of my breasts,” the brave star added.
“We spoke and you [Naren] did the surgery and I remember coming round from it and looking at my mum who has been through breast cancer herself and thinking, ‘I’m done. I’ve done it now and it was a case of chapter closed’ and finally I could start to look ahead at my future – whereas before there was always that doubt in the back of my mind and fear.”
Amy Dowden and her professional dance partner, Carlos Gu (Image: Getty)
Amy will be accompanied by close friend and Strictly colleague Carlos Gu as the duo attempt to avoid capture by Ray Howard and his “elite team of Hunters” on the forthcoming series of Celebrity Hunted in aid of Stand Up to Cancer, meanwhile.
Speaking to Digital Spy, the duo spoke openly about how demanding the programme proved and their “relentless” rows.
“There were highlights there amongst it,” Amy said. “It’s got to be a hard show, it’s for Stand Up to Cancer, it can’t be easy. I think we had the biggest argument over carrot cake.
“Which in any normal situation in life, we would not be arguing over. It was him wanting to go to the shop to get carrot cake, but I thought we were at risk, and I didn’t want him to go and buy carrot cake in a shop.”