Strictly stars Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu on overcoming the challenges they’ve faced, supporting each other and going on tour

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(Image: PA)

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden remembers the exact moment she knew she wanted to become a dancer. It was her eighth birthday and Amy, from Caerphilly in Wales, was holidaying at her grandad’s caravan in Cornwall.

She persuaded her twin sister Rebecca to join her in a disco dancing competition, and although neither of them had danced before, they won first prize. From that moment, Amy was hooked.

“I loved it. My medallion, the spotlight, the music, the attention… just everything,” Amy tells Notebook. “For the entire holiday, I begged my parents to take me dancing. And from that first dance class, I didn’t stop. I danced in the supermarket, in school and on my lunch breaks.”

The past 12 months have been filled with mixed emotions for Amy, 35, who joined Strictly as a professional dancer in 2017. Last September, she made her long-awaited comeback to the hit BBC show after treatment for stage three breast cancer.

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Amy was forced to pull out of the competition after suffering a foot injury while partnered with The One Show presenter JB Gill(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)

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The star was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and has kept fans regularly updated with her treatment(Image: amy_dowden/Instagram)

While she and her partner, former Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, were the first couple to be eliminated, it was a welcome return for Amy, whose world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed in early 2023.

In March 2024, after chemotherapy, a mastectomy and hormone therapy, a relieved Amy revealed there was “no evidence of disease” left. But later that year she was forced to pull out of the competition after suffering a foot injury while partnered with The One Show presenter JB Gill.

In November 2025 she underwent her second mastectomy, this time as a preventative measure. In her darkest moments, Amy feared her cancer could mark the end of her beloved career, but after building up her strength she was delighted to get back to doing what she loves best.

“After what happened in 2023 and 2024, I realised I wasn’t ready or well enough to be on the show,” she says. “I either had to hang up my dance shoes or dig deep. So I worked hard to get my body back to where it was before.

“After I finished chemo, I struggled to even walk up the stairs. When you’ve had something taken away from you, you appreciate it even more. It gave me the confidence I needed and last year, I realised Amy’s back. Cancer wasn’t going to take dancing away from me.”

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Amy married fellow dancer Ben Jones in 2022

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Amy is now preparing to head on tour with fellow Strictly dancer and close friend Carlos Gu(Image: amy_dowden/Instagram )

Amy still has regular check-ups, but after last year’s operation she feels like she’s “closing a chapter” on a very challenging part of her life, adding, “I can finally see a future ahead of me.”

The star credits her strength and resilience to her mother, who despite battling breast cancer herself, “never let it define her”. On World Cancer Day on 4 February, Amy expressed her gratitude to those who have supported her through her diagnosis and shared some clips of her journey, from her treatment and hair loss to returning to Strictly.

While she admits it’s not always easy to share her experiences publicly, she knows how much it can help others in a similar situation.

“Sometimes sharing yourself at your most vulnerable is not easy, but I also want to show the reality and try to help others,” she explains. “So many people have written to me saying, ‘I’ve been able to tell my little girl that Mummy’s not well, but look at Amy – she’s back dancing on Strictly again’. And that means so much to me. I’ve been on that other side, that daughter who has watched their mum go through it. I know how that felt.”

As she looks ahead to the future, Amy says she prefers to take things day by day, celebrating the little wins and how far she’s come. And she has the same mindset when it comes to motherhood.

The star, who married fellow dancer Ben Jones in 2022, was forced into an early, hormone-induced menopause at the start of her chemotherapy. Although the couple have frozen five embryos, it’s not certain whether Amy will be able to safely carry a child herself.

She says, “Obviously, there is a big, dark cloud over me. Will I become a mother? I’ve wanted to be a mummy since I was a little girl. I was one of those girls who would always have a little baby Annabelle. And I have two gorgeous nephews, who I love to pieces. But we will cross that bridge when it comes to it and I will explore every option going.”

Amy is now preparing to head on tour with fellow Strictly dancer and close friend Carlos Gu. Their show, which kicks off in May, is called Reborn – a poignant nod to how Amy and Carlos have both endured their own personal hardships over the years.

Carlos, who was crowned Strictly winner alongside former footballer Karen Carney last year, has opened up about the struggles he faced growing up gay in his native China.

“Being LGBTQ isn’t easy in China,” he says of his home country, which doesn’t recognise same-sex marriage or civil unions. “I wasn’t given the opportunity to really be myself. Growing up, you’re fighting within yourself to find your identity, but here I feel more myself than ever.”

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Carlos was crowned Strictly winner alongside former footballer Karen Carney last year(Image: PA)

Despite being happily settled on these shores, Carlos – who learnt English by watching Downton Abbey – admits he’s struggled with the UK dating scene.

“It’s horrendous,” he says. “I’m so fed up with people saying, ‘They will come when you least expect it.’ I’ve been least expecting it for three years! I find dating hard. I’m not really sociable in the sense of going out to meet people, and online dating isn’t working for me. Swiping is like shopping and I don’t like that concept.”

Would Carlos, 33, follow in the footsteps of his pal Amy by dating another dancer? “No, dancers have never really done it for me,” he sighs. “I’d like to find someone who can sing or play an instrument. I find that really charming.”

Carlos, who joined Strictly in 2022, was also drawn to the dance floor from an early age. But he’s got his sights set on singing.

“My ultimate goal is to be in the West End,” he says. “I sometimes find dancing a bit restrictive. But with my voice, I can show another layer of myself.”

Amy and Carlos have supported each other through their highs and the lows, and clearly share a touching friendship.

“Carlos cares deeply and when I’ve been ill, he’s been there in the ambulance with me,” says Amy. “He’s become part of my family. He calls my mum ‘Mama’ and dad ‘Papa’. He’s spent two Christmases with us and has his own bedroom. It’s like a brother and sister relationship.”

She adds, “I just love how true he is to himself. He only ever does something that he is passionate about or truly believes in, and I think in this day and age that can be quite difficult to find.”

Giving a teaser as to what fans can expect from their show, Amy says, “It’s a real celebration of everything we’ve overcome and how we feel reborn in the last few years. We dig deep into everything we’ve been through, but also how dance has been our saviour. It’s emotional but uplifting, and hopefully it leaves people feeling inspired.”