HEARTBREAK: Amy Dowden stands by Strictly Come Dancing after ‘darkest of times’
Amy has spoken out ahead of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing (Image: BBC)
Professional dancer Amy Dowden has credited Strictly Come Dancing for getting her through the “darkest of times”. The Welsh star is returning to the BBC competition, as it makes its comeback with new presenters replacing Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, a host of new professional dancers, and a controversial line-up.
Fans have been left concerned over the new series, calling the casting, which includes the likes of Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters and Love Island winner Cach Mercer, “the worst ever” and fearing it means the end of Strictly. However, Amy has now insisted the show is not changing, reports Wales Online.
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Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 (Image: Instagram)
Speaking to Mail Online, she said: “We need to remember the core of Strictly is not changing.” She went on: “That competition, watching the celebrities learn to dance before every weekend, that’s not changing and that’s the heart and the reason why Strictly has been so successful for over the last two decades.
“I’m so proud to be part of that show and it’s got me through the darkest of times and I’m not sure where I would be right now without Strictly.” She added: “The celebrities are so lovely and they’re so good. We’re in for a good series, let me tell you. I think it’s gonna be one that you can’t call it, it’s gonna be so tight and so tough.”
Amy’s pride in the show comes after she bravely documented her cancer battle, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, having found a lump while on her honeymoon. She was forced to miss out on a year of Strictly, and bravely shared updates with fans as she underwent chemotherapy and treatment, and shaved her head.
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Amy was partnered with Thomas Skinner on Strictly last year (Image: BBC)
However, she also revealed that after a single mastectomy, doctors heartbreakingly discovered tumours and Amy was left “extremely sick”. She also suffered a terrifying near-death experience and went into septic shock, and was rushed to intensive care during treatment.
Thankfully, in February 2024 Amy announced that she had “no evidence of disease”, and fronted an NTA-nominated documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, following her health battle and fertility journey as a consequence of the treatment.
She returned to Strictly and was partnered with JB Gill, but was forced to drop out again after a leg injury left her unable to maintain her spot in the competition. Amy then made her triumphant return last year with Thomas Skinner, but the pair were the first voted out of the competition.
