SO SAD: Inside Amy Dowden’s life now as Strictly icon opens up on ‘big dark cloud’
Celebrity Hunted is back and Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden is going on the run.
Strictly stars Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu are taking part in this year’s Celebrity Hunted. (Image: CHANNEL 4)
Strictly Come Dancing favourite Amy Dowden is swapping the dance floor for a high-stakes chase tonight in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. Celebrity Hunted returns tonight, Monday, August 3, at 9pm on Channel 4, with 12 well-known faces abandoning their privileged lifestyles in a bid to evade capture from the formidable Hunters.
Among those taking part is Welsh Strictly Come Dancing icon Amy Dowden, who is partnered with last year’s winning Strictly professional Carlos Gu. As the 35-year-old trades gears up for the intense reality show, here is a closer look at Amy Dowden’s life.
Health update
Amy Dowden revealed on Instagram it had been three years since she had her breasts removed. (Image: INSTAGRAM/AMY DOWDEN)
Amy Dowden, originally from Caerphilly, Wales, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of 32 in 2023 and underwent chemotherapy and two mastectomies, the most recent of which took place in November last year.
The Latin dance champion declared there was “no evidence of disease” in 2024, describing it as her “biggest accomplishment yet”. She recently revealed that it has been three years since her first mastectomy, marking the milestone with photographs from a holiday in Ibiza.
The Strictly star wrote: “Three years ago today, I had just recently just my breast removed [sic] and was currently undergoing fertility treatment before starting chemotherapy.
“I was terrified, not only of the treatment itself, but of being thrown into a forced menopause because my cancer is hormone-fed.
“Fast forward exactly three years, and my perspective on life has completely changed. I live each day to the fullest, with so much gratitude for the little things I once took for granted.”
She continued: “I know how lucky I am, and I never lose sight of that. Every day is a gift, and I’m determined to make the most of it. Here’s to resilience, hope, and celebrating every milestone.”
Amy Dowden’s husband
Strictly star Amy Dowden is married to fellow professional dancer Ben Jones. (Image: GETTY)
Amy Dowden is wed to fellow professional dancer Ben Jones, whom she first encountered in 2011.
The couple made history in 2016 when they were crowned the British National Latin Dance champions, becoming the first all-British pairing to claim the title in over 30 years.
Ben got down on one knee in front of Amy at a New Year’s Eve celebration in 2017 and, after their wedding was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the couple tied the knot on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales in 2022.
Amy and Ben are helping others pursue their love of dance by running their Art in Motion dance school in Dudley, West Midlands.
Pregnancy talk
As previously noted, Amy experienced an early, medically-induced menopause when her chemotherapy treatment commenced.
She and Ben have revealed that they have preserved embryos, though it remains uncertain whether she will be able to carry a pregnancy.
Opening up about the prospect of starting a family to OK magazine, she said: “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.”
Tragic discovery
Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden features in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?. (Image: BBC)
Amy appeared on BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? earlier this year, where medical historian Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster revealed to the star that her paternal great-grandmother Louisa had also suffered from breast cancer.
Tragically, her relative succumbed to the disease at just 39 years of age in 1921. Amy told Radio Times: “It took me back to being diagnosed with cancer myself.
“Agnes told me that cancer was incurable back then, so Louisa had to endure breast cancer without access to chemo or any modern medicine.
“It made me even more grateful for the NHS.”
