Amy Dowden's inspirational message as she says she’s…

Amy Dowden's inspirational message as she says she’s ‘living the dream’ despite 'down days'

Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden has taken to Instagram to share an inspirational message remembering how far she has come and that she has even more to give - even on her bad days.

Posting a stunning photo of her performing with a young dancer as Sam Ryder performs, Amy - who has her own dance show called Dare to Dance on BBC Wales - penned the caption: "You're allowed days where you feel down but I always try to remember how far I’ve come, how I’m living the dream and I’ve got so much more to give.

"I would go back and tell my younger self so much right now and today I need to remind myself this! Thanks for all the love guys."

Soon after posting this, fans and friends flooded her comments section, offering her messages of support and encouragement, expressing how much of an inspiration Amy was and their pride over her "honesty, bravery and resilience". Fellow Strictly dancer Karen Hauer wrote: "You got this amy". while Johannes Radebe said: "Keep on keeping on sis".

These comments were followed with a myriad of lengthy messages commenting on how amazing she was for not letting her Crohn's disease, which she was diagnosed with when she was 19, define her. One such message read: "Please remind yourself of this every single day. Remind yourself of all the crap when people didn’t think you would make it. Remind yourself of those days YOU were so determined to prove your illness wrong and that it wouldn’t define you.

"These down days are so normal, it shows how much you care and, like you say, how much left you have to give. You are a warrior and I am SO endlessly proud of you. I hope you know how much love and support you have and how much of an impact you make every single day. All the love, always ."

Another added: "You have moved mountains @amy_dowden never ever doubt the amount of inspiration and strength you’ve given SO many of us, nor the way you have changed our lives and shown us we can dance and we can achieve our dreams. Your reach is so much further and more powerful than you know gorgeous one. You push through all the obstacles but you’re allowed to rest too and look after yourself. We love you."

This honest message comes just days after the 32-year-old, who hails from Caerphilly and married her long term love last July in the Gower, opened up about the reality of living with Crohn's disease - and doing so while on tour. The dancer regularly uses her platform to speak about hidden chronic illnesses (like the one she lives with) and recently she explained how her disease didn't just affect the gut, but other parts of the body, such as the eyes.

Taking to her Instagram stories, she said: "Good morning, so as much as I love showing you all the fabulous fun things I get to do, this is also my reality living with Crohn's. The last few days my eyes have properly flared up, but it's okay, I keep smiling. The make-up girls do all they can to make me feel amazing and beautiful."

She added: "It won't stop me from doing what I love, but the last few days have not been easy. My face is still swollen but this is what it's like living with an inflammatory bowel disease. I'm not going to let it define me, I'm not going to let it stop me from doing what I love and I really want to dance and perform."

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