SAD NEWS: Amy Dowden drops Strictly exit bombshell in heartbreaking cancer admission
Amy Dowden made a sad admission about her cancer battle.
Amy Dowden almost quit Strictly after her cancer battle (Image: ITV)
Amy Dowden made a heartbreaking confession about her cancer battle, as she revealed it nearly made her quit dancing. She was forced to withdraw from the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing after struggling with an injury, which was her first season back after her cancer diagnosis in 2023.
Amy has revealed how it was only the unwavering support of her husband Ben Jones and fellow Strictly professional Carlos Gu that carried her through the “ultimate low”. In an interview with New magazine, Amy said: “I returned to Strictly, but I was feeling all the effects of chemotherapy, cancer, and I had no self-confidence”I’d been pulled out of Strictly and was ready to hang up my dancing shoes, but it was Carlos and Ben, my husband, who gave me that tough love, that motivation to make sure I didn’t.
“I was at an ultimate low. My husband and Carlos got my confidence back, made sure that the cancer didn’t take my dancing away from me, along with everything else.”
Amy went through chemotherapy and two mastectomies, and she reflected on how the illness remains a “life sentence”.
She said: “I think people think that once you’ve rung the bell, your cancer journey is over. I was stupid enough to think that, but it really isn’t. Unfortunately, a cancer diagnosis is like a life sentence, basically. I hope me showing this starts conversations with people at home.”
Amy Dowden is a fan favourite on the dancing show (Image: BBC)
Amy is currently on Celebrity Hunted with Carlos, who has disclosed that he developed such a profound connection with his Strictly co-star due to his family’s own experience with cancer. The Chinese dancer said, “The main reason we’ve so bonded together is the moment she had cancer. I felt it because my granny and my very close cousin, they both died from cancer. That was the moment that made me realise, ‘Oh, I really love her. ‘ I was devastated.
“I clicked with Amy on so many human levels. When I first came to the UK, Amy was one of the people who really helped me. So of course I was going to be there for her when she needed me the most.”
