Strictly's Amy Dowden unveils life-threatening Sepsis diagnosis

Following her heartbreaking second cancer diagnosis back in July, Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has now opened up about how she contracted life-threatening infection Sepsis, whilst undergoing chemotherapy.

34-year-old Amy bravely opened up to HELLO!, where she said: "I wasn't feeling too bad that day, just sick, but a couple of hours later I started having a temperature of 37.7C.

"At the time, I didn't realise that having a temperature of 37.5C or above could be fatal for a chemo patient. I just thought it was my reaction to chemo, but as it turned out, I had already got an infection.

"The Strictly producers were checking in on me, and I was sending videos of me on my walk. I couldn't believe how good I was feeling."

However, things quickly took a bad turn, with Amy's mum Gillian telling the publication: "Amy's symptoms got worse very, very quickly. At one point she felt ok, then suddenly she felt very ill - it happened in an instant.

"She went to stand, then just sort of crumpled back on to the settee."

Explaining the ordeal, Amy added: "I felt freezing cold but I was all clammy and shaking. My mum and dad rang my red card (which provides the chemotherapy team's contact details and current treatment information) and they said to hang up and ring the ambulance."

After being rushed to hospital and spending time in the Intensive Care Unit, Amy was given the shock diagnosis.

She said: "The doctors and nurses were telling me I had sepsis and that it was life-threatening but I wasn't taking it in. I didn't become properly aware until later. I told my dad: 'I've got sepsis' and he said: 'I know!'"

Amy was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer back in May, and despite undergoing a mastectomy, doctors later found more tumours and a different kind of cancer, leading to Amy to undergo chemotherapy.

Due to the diagnosis, Amy won't be able to take part in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, a show she has been part of since 2017.

Speaking last month during a video with awareness charity CoppaFeel, Amy told host Erin Kennedy about her disappointment that she won't be able to take part in the show she loves. She said: “For me, straightaway, it was just like my dancing, like you can take away my boob but you can’t take my dancing away from me.

“I was already upset about it, and obviously this year, it means I’m not going to be able to dance with a celebrity on Strictly but I’m in such regular contact with the team and the BBC have been just utterly incredible.

“We are just one big family and they’re going to be guided by me and there are so many ways to be involved in the show and I’m just staying really positive and hopeful that I’m still going to be part of the show in some way.”

See all of the Strictly Come Dancing professionals below:

Amy is continuing with her chemotherapy treatment. We are sending her all of our love throughout this difficult time.

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Strictly's Amy Dowden reveals second cancer diagnosis

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