Amy Dowden has revealed she’s feeling “fitter and stronger than ever right now” as she prepares to return for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing this autumn.
The 34-year-old Welsh professional dancer, who specialises in Ballroom and Latin American styles, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2023 at just 32 years old.
While Dowden was thankfully told last year, following surgery and chemotherapy, that there was “no evidence of cancer” and got to ring the end-of-treatment bell, she continues her recovery journey. From the start, she made the decision to share her story publicly in the hope of inspiring others facing similar battles.
Dowden made a return to Strictly last year, where she was paired with JLS singer-turned-farmer JB Gill, who had previously won a Christmas special.
Disaster struck in the sixth week, however, when she was forced to pull out due to a foot injury. Gill was repartnered with professional dancer Lauren Oakley, and together they made it to the final, finishing as runners-up to comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell.
McCausland made history as the first blind contestant to win the Glitterball Trophy.
Reflecting on her recovery from cancer, Dowden told MailOnline: “I was very deluded – I literally thought I would be ringing the bell and my life would come back.
“I didn’t anticipate or realise the journey ahead of recovery and how long it was going to take, both physically and mentally, and I wish I had more preparation for that.”
While she acknowledges she still has some challenging years ahead, dance helps keep her grounded.
She said: “Especially this year, just throwing myself into that – taking dance lessons, being on theatre tours, and being able to now do what I love most and what makes me happy is what has got me through some tough times.”
Although there are still two months to go until Strictly returns to screens, speculation is already rife about which celebrities will be taking to the dancefloor.
Dowden says she tends to shut out the noise around that and prefers a “surprise.”
“Me being genuinely honest, I don’t tend to look anyway, because most of the time it is not true,” she added to the publication.
