Welsh Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden made a grandmother's dream come true in an emotional first episode of her new BBC show: Amy Dowden's Dare to Dance. In the series, Amy becomes a personal dance coach to members of the public who wish they could dance.
In the first episode of the series, which aired on BBC One at 5.35pm on Saturday, she visited Sian from Dinas Powys who was told as a child "she would never dance". The 69-year-old said: "I've wanted to dance since I was a little girl but I've never been able to. My grandmother always told me I had big legs, my father would never lift me up because he said I was too big a girl. My grandad always wanted me to dance and he tried and tried and tried to teach me, but it was just hopeless."
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Unable to follow her own dream, Sian said she put her own girls straight into dancing. It led to a number of family members becoming professional dancers, including her grandson Iestyn who has performed at the Millenium Centre on a number of occasions. In secret, Amy taught Sian how to dance with the goal of performing in front of her family and friends at her joint birthday party with her son Gareth - who was due to turn 30 when she turned 70.
Although most of the family were kept in the dark about the heart-warming plan, Amy asked Iestyn to dance the waltz with his grandmother at the birthday party. Speaking to Amy about his selfless grandmother, he said: "I don't even think she comes second [in the family]. She comes fifth, sixth, seventh because she doesn't give herself the time or opportunity to have some self love. She finds joy and happiness in other people's joy and happiness." Gareth, who lives at home with Sian and requires care, was also in on the plan.
During the episode an emotional Sian almost reduced Amy to tears. After a practice dance with Sian, the host from Caerphilly said she would be performing the waltz - a dance Sian said her grandad once tried to teach her - to Three Times a Lady.
A watery eyed Amy said: "You're going to set me off...you are going to dance it because you in life put everybody else first. You don't even put yourself second..so you're going to dance to Three Times a Lady." Next, Amy gave Sian a pair of beautiful gold ballroom shoes to perform in before revealing she would dance with her grandson.
On the big day, a dance hall full of Sian's unexpecting friends and family members gathered to celebrate the two birthdays. Gasps were heard as Amy walked on stage and Gareth introduced the emotional performance. Amy said: "I'm just so delighted it went so well for Sian. She was in her element and I couldn't be happier. She just looked like a proper ballroom dancer."
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