Professional dancer, 36, is returning to ‘Strictly’ later this year
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Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden has opened up about her health ahead of her return after receiving cancer treatment on screen during Celebrity Hunted.
The professional dancer, 36, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago and has since undergone two mastectomies and chemotherapy. She also contracted sepsis and broke her foot.
As documented in the recent series of Celebrity Hunted, Dowden returns to hospital once a month for preventative treatment. She competed on the reality show, which is currently airing on Channel 4, alongside Strictly co-star Carlos Gu.
Despite how emotional the scene was to viewers at home, Dowden has since told The Independent that she now feels comfortable speaking about her treatment on screen.
“I don’t really find it hard now revisiting it because I’m at the hospital once a month,” she said.
“It's part of my routine now. I celebrate now how far I've come, how strong I feel, how healthy I am, and I'm just grateful really, and honoured to feel this way,” she continued.
“I’m forever in gratitude to the wonderful healthcare workers who've looked after me, the nurses, doctors, you name it, every healthcare worker. They are our true unsung heroes.”
Both Dowden and Gu are confirmed to be returning to Strictly Come Dancing for its 2026 series, with the full celebrity line-up now officially revealed. While the Welsh pro returned to Strictly in 2024, she was forced to pull out of the series after collapsing due to a foot injury and the following year, she was first out of the competition after celebrity partner Thomas Skinner received the fewest votes from the public.
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As for how she’s feeling before the series launch, Dowden said: “Honestly, I feel the fittest, the healthiest, the strongest I’ve ever been, Carlos knows you've just been on tour with me. How would you say I am?”
Carlos responded: “I feel like everything that she went through somehow made her stronger mentally and physically. It made her realise she loves dancing, coming back and dancing and being on stage. We finished touring a month ago and she was was just incredible.
“She looked the best and she feels the best. I think being through something so severe makes you cherish what you have more.”
Dowden went on to explain that the absence of Strictly and dancing in her life has made her “appreciate everything even more”.
