SAD NEWS: Strictly’s Amy Dowden opens up on health struggles in sad update after c@ncer battle
Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden opened up about the lasting impact her c@ncer and its treatment have had on her health, three years on from her diagnosis
Amy Dowden has shared an update about her health (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed the ongoing health challenges she faces following her breast c@ncer treatment. The professional dancer was diagnosed with grade three breast c@ncer in 2023 after finding a lump just before her honeymoon.
She has subsequently undergone chemotherapy and two mastectomies, stating after her second procedure that she no longer felt “emotionally attached” to her body.
Speaking to Dr Louise Newson, a leading expert in women’s hormones, Amy, 35, addressed how her c@ncer and treatment have impacted her wellbeing.
The Welsh dancer has previously stated that treatment for her hormone receptor-positive c@ncer induced early menopause, leaving her fearing that she’d never be able to experience motherhood.
Amy was partnered with Thomas Skinner on Strictly last year (Image: BBC)
After Dr Newson discussed the connection between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast c@ncer risk in an episode of Breast c@ncer Uncovered, Amy reflected on her own journey.
“I have had symptoms, literally I was kind of fed a load of hormones because I had my eggs retrieved before I started chemo and when I started chemo, I started Zoladex injections,” she shared.
“I still suffer with like sleeping at night, I have the hot sweats and hot flushes, like some mornings I struggle to do this [move her fingers]. I broke my foot twice so now I’m on bone infusions to try and help.
“I’ve definitely seen a difference, the first year I would say my emotions were all over the place.
Amy said she ‘still struggles’ with some symptoms of a treatment (Image: BBC Wales)
“And I seem to have, over time, those have absolutely calmed down, maybe my husband wouldn’t agree, but I definitely think so,” she added.
Offering her expert insight, Dr Newson explained: “Everyone’s very different. Zoladex, removing ovaries will remove other hormones as well.
“But actually, our hormones aren’t just made in our ovaries, so they’re made in our adrenal glands but they’re also made in our brain and they’re really important neurotransmitters and they have really important roles in our brain.”
She continued: “Lots of people would’ve heard of serotonin and dopamine and melatonin, so if we’ve got low estradiol, low progesterone, low testosterone in our brains, we have low serotonin, so our mood often goes.”
Amy was forced to withdraw from Strictly Come Dancing following her diagnosis while she received treatment.
In February 2024, she revealed there was “no evidence of disease” before making her return to the ballroom. However, an injury subsequently forced her to exit the competition for a second time.
She returned to the programme in 2025, though she and her celebrity partner, Thomas Skinner, became the first pair to be eliminated.
Amy will now be hoping for better luck this year as she gears up for the new series, alongside the comeback of numerous fellow professionals and five fresh dancers joining the Strictly roster.
