Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has shared an emotional admission about her battle with breast cancer in a new interview.
Amy, who has been a professional dancer on the BBC show since 2017, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. In a heartfelt conversation with Matt Willis on his On The Mend podcast, Dowden revealed that after undergoing chemotherapy and two mastectomies, she was “ready to hang up my dancing shoes.”
“I lost everything as a dancer — my flexibility, my speed — everything I’d worked 20 years for,” she confessed. “But my dear friend, Carlos Gu, told me, ‘Cancer has taken enough from you, it’s not going to take your dancing. You can do this.’” 
Amy admitted that her love for dancing kept her going through the toughest moments of her recovery. “I knew how much dance brought joy to my family and me, and I knew I had to get back to it. It helped me process everything I had been through and get strong again.”
She credits her partnership with Tom Fletcher in the 2021 Strictly series as life-changing. “If it wasn’t for Tom, I wouldn’t be alive,” she said, referring to the work Tom and his wife Giovanna do with breast cancer charity CoppaFeel.
Now, Amy is gearing up for a return to the tour with Carlos Gu, who supported her throughout her recovery. “I don’t know yet if I’ll be back on the Strictly dance floor, but I’ll be doing everything I can to raise awareness for breast cancer,” she said.
Amy also shared that while she still undergoes monthly cancer treatment, it’s helping to keep her alive. “I see it as keeping me alive,” she said of her ongoing treatment.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
