By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
Amy Dowden recently shared that her return to Strictly Come Dancing was nearly derailed by another cancer scare. The 34 year old professional dancer, who was diagnosed with cancer twice last year, had to rush back to the hospital after doctors noticed abnormalities in her breast during a routine check up. Dowden described feeling "crushed" and endured sleepless nights while waiting for the results. However, when she received the all clear, she told her consultant, "we haven't had good news much, so thank you."
Cancer and Me, which chronicles her journey from diagnosis to her return to Strictly this autumn. "It was a scare, such a worrying time," Dowden said. "I'll never forget them calling me to say we're sorry but we've seen something we don't like the look of."
Initially diagnosed with grade three breast cancer at age 32 in May 2023, Dowden discovered a lump in her breast just before going on her honeymoon. Although she hoped surgery would be the solution, doctors later found additional tumors and another type of cancer. Despite undergoing a mastectomy and the emotional challenge of losing her hair due to chemotherapy, Dowden made a surprise appearance on Strictly in October 2023. By February 2024, she was told there was "no evidence of disease," and in June, it was announced she would return to the show for its latest series.
Reflecting on the scare, Dowden said, "I thought I'd just got my life back on track." She had just performed in front of an audience for the first time in a year when the results of her annual MRI and mammogram put her "back on hold." Doctors found widespread calcium deposits in one of her breasts, which they feared could be a "precursor to invasive breast cancer."
Dowden’s father, Richard, expressed the family’s devastation in the documentary, saying, "It's another blow. For us, it has taken quite a toll. I just wish I could have it all for her." Dowden herself admitted that the scare made her anxious and brought back memories of the previous year's struggles. However, after further tests revealed the abnormalities were benign, she was "so relieved it was unreal."
Now, with the all clear, Dowden is excited to fully focus on her return to Strictly. She has been training with fellow professional dancer Dianne Buswell in preparation for the new season. Returning to the dancefloor has been one of Dowden’s biggest motivations during her cancer battle, describing Strictly as her "happy place" and expressing how much she loves being part of a show that brings so much joy to people.
Dowden also credited Strictly with saving her life, as a breast cancer charity walk with Giovanna Fletcher, the wife of her dance partner Tom Fletcher, in 2021 prompted her to check her own breasts. "To be back on the dancefloor will be super magical. It's the best show in the world, and I pinch myself every day that I'm part of it," she said.
