Amy Dowden says she's ‘stronger than ever' ahead of Strictly return after breast cancer battle and being forced to quit

The Irish Sun

3 days ago

STRICTLY star Amy Dowden
said she's feeling "stronger than ever" as she prepares for return to the show after battling breast cancer.
The professional dancer, 34, revealed
in May 2023, before
.
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Amy Dowden said she's feeling 'stronger than ever' after her cancer battle
Credit: Splash
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Amy was told by doctors that she had aggressive stage three breast cancer in 2023
Credit: BBC
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The dancer said she experienced the 'hardest time' after ringing the bell
Credit: BBC
, who joined
Strictly Come Dancing
in 2017,
needed a mastectomy and underwent chemotherapy and was unable to compete with a celebrity partner on Strictly in 2023.
But now the ballroom star has said she's feeling "stronger" amid her ongoing recovery from cancer as well as the foot injury she sustained last year which forced her to quit that series.
Amy will be returning to Strictly later this year for the new series and has recently been filming Channel 4 show Celebrity Hunted with best pal and fellow Strictly pro Carlos Gu.
Despite her health being in a better place now, the dancer admitted she had experienced the "hardest time" after she completed her cancer treatment.
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"I was so lucky with my friends and family; they rallied around us, but there's so many people who told me they didn't hear from anybody after they rang their bell - they thought they were fine," Amy told the Mail.
"But little do they know, that's the hardest time, because that's when you've had all your chemo, that's when you're really struggling to walk up the stairs and really feeling the impact of a cancer treatment and diagnosis."
In May, Amy revealed she was at the
She revealed she was at the hospital to have scans to make sure her cancer hasn't returned.
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Sharing the moment, the dancer posted a picture of herself in a medical gown.
Amy Dowden returns to dancing after being forced to pull out of Strictly over medical emergency
CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Amy was told by doctors that
The diagnosis came after she ­married her pro dance partner Ben Jones in 2022.
Speaking in her BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me, she said: 'At the beginning of 2023 I felt like everything I'd ever hoped for was falling into place.
'Ben and I got married, I was teaching at the dance school, I was going to be back on Strictly and all of a ­sudden my everyday life changed.
"To be 32 with breast cancer, you're thinking, 'This doesn't look good — the outlook doesn't look good'.
'The first time I felt the lump in my breast was the day before we went on honeymoon.
'I just knew, I felt sick to my stomach.
'I saw the doctor, and he told me they'd found something. I said, 'Is it ­cancer?' and he said, 'Yes'.
'I think for me, I thought I was safe until my 50s when they start doing my mammograms. I didn't think it would ever affect me.'
However, Amy thrilled fans when she revealed
STRICTLY RETURN
Last year,
She was partnered with JLS star,
Sadly, just weeks into the show
The emotional star told ITV's Lorraine at the time: "I am going to do my best not to cry," yet tears filled her eyes as she said: "I am gutted it's had to end this way.
"I feel I have let JB down."
What are the signs of breast cancer?
BREAST cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK.
The majority of women who get it are over 50, but younger women and, in rare cases, men can also get breast cancer.
If it's treated early enough, breast cancer can be prevented from spreading to other parts of the body.
Breast cancer can have a number of symptoms, but the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue.
Most breast lumps aren't cancerous, but it's always best to have them checked by your doctor. You should also speak to your GP if you notice any of the following:
a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
discharge from either of your nipples (which may be streaked with blood)
a lump or swelling in either of your armpits
dimpling on the skin of your breasts
a rash on or around your nipple
a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast
Source: NHS
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The ballroom star will be returning to Strictly for the new series later this year
Credit: BBC