Strictly's Amy Dowden reveals cancer diagnosis to fans
She's shared a defiant message
Professional ballroom dancer Amy Dowden, who first joined Strictly Come Dancing back in 2017, has revealed she has cancer in a statement.
The dancer, who was a finalist in the show back in 2019, with her dance partner Karim Zeroual, announced the news on social media, after opening up in an interview with Hello!
Amy shared a photo of a written statement, along with the caption: 'Hey all, I've got some news which isn't easy to share. I've recently been diagnosed with breast cancer but I'm determined to get back on that dance floor before you know it. 💖'.
Since sharing the shock news, fellow Strictly dancers have been leaving messages for the 32-year-old, with Dianne Buswell saying: 'Our Welsh dragon is going to fight this !!!! and I can not wait for the moment you are back on that dance floor with us. We love you so much Amy 💕'
With Oti Masbuse adding: 'Sending you love and power and all the strength 😍😍😍 - you’re such an incredible woman 💖 love you Amy! Take care of yourself 🙏🏾'.
Chloe Hewitt also wrote: 'Sending so much love to you Amy. ❤️'.
In her interview with Hello! Amy, who has also had Crohn's Disease since she was a child, opened up about her diagnosis saying: "I've been through quite a lot in my life and this is another hurdle. But if I'm positive and strong, I've got a really good chance of getting back out on the dancefloor as soon as possible."
Amy, who previously made a BBC documentary called Strictly Amy: Crohn's and Me, went on to say: "With what I've done for Crohn’s, I want to do the same here. If I can try and turn this negative into a positive, it's going to help me get through this.
"You just don't ever think it's going to happen to you. I hadn't thought it was possible to get breast cancer at my age. My mum has had breast cancer, but she had it at a later age, in her 50s."
When opening up about how she discovered she had breast cancer, Amy explained it was after taking part in the CoppaFeel! trek with I'm A Celeb winner Giovanna Fletcher. She said: "Last year, I did the CoppaFeel! trek and I spoke to so many incredible ladies who had battled breast cancer. I was thinking to myself: 'I don't even check my breasts'.
"This last year, obviously, I made a conscious effort to check my breasts. CoppaFeel! has now potentially saved my life, because I don't know how long this lump could have been there before I would have noticed and done something about it. So me speaking out might end up saving some other people's lives because they start checking their breasts."
Our thoughts are with Amy. ❤️
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