Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has emotionally responded to winning Celebrity Hunted, having taken part in the show following her own cancer battle.
Cancer battle and motivation
The professional dancer was 32 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, after she found a lump in her breast the day before her and husband Benjamin Jones' honeymoon.
Amy, now 35, had a single mastectomy performed and underwent gruelling chemotherapy treatment following the diagnosis, during which she also faced life-threatening sepsis. At the end of last year, she underwent a second mastectomy as part of her ongoing treatment.
Taking part in the show
So for Amy, taking part in Celebrity Hunted, for Channel 4's charity initiative, Stand Up To Cancer, gave her an extra bit of determination to outsmart the hunters, as she joined forces with her best friend and Strictly co-star Carlos Gu.
Having filmed the show last year, viewers have recently been watching Amy and Carlos, as well as other celebrity duos, trying to keep themselves from being caught by the most skilled intelligence agencies in the world, seeing how difficult it is to stay off the radar as a fugitive.
The finale
During the 2026 series finale on Tuesday (August 25) evening, Amy and Carlos remained on the run, as did Amy's former Strictly dance partner Brian Conley and his daughter Lucy, and TV presenter Scarlette Douglas was on her own after brother Stuart was caught in a previous episode.
In the end, as they raced to the extraction point, which was a small aeroplane which could land directly on the beach, it became too much for Scarlette, who was caught by the hunters, while Amy and Carlos were the first to clamber into the plane, followed by Lucy, while dad Brian struggled to keep up.
While the hunters made one final push to catch the remaining four, racing alongside the plane in their car, the aircraft managed to successfully take off, leaving Amy, Carlos, Brian and Lucy as this year's winners.
Amy's emotional response
Taking to Instagram after the episode, Amy reflected on the journey she and Carlos had, writing: "CELEBRITY HUNTED WINNERS. This was so much more than a TV show to me.
"As I wrote in a little note for the Hunters during the show, when I visited the hospital for treatment: 'One up on cancer, and one up on you, Hunters.' The ending was emotional, but so incredibly rewarding. I genuinely felt like I had stood up to cancer!
The show, and the nature of the game, tested us in so many ways. During the tough times, and those moments when we came close to giving up, we remembered why we were doing it: to raise money, awareness and support for Stand Up To Cancer. @su2cuk @su2c"
The Welsh star continued: "To my darling friend Carlos Gu, what an experience, and what memories we get to cherish forever. I love you! And what a way to finish, alongside the wonderful @realbrianconley @itslucyconley who are like family to me. Congrats guys xxx Thank you @hunted_hq @channel4 for the opportunity and for an experience I’ll never forget."
And to everyone who helped us along the run, we felt your love, support and encouragement every step of the way. We genuinely couldn’t have done it without you. Tonight I raised a glass to our king Kev, a dear friend and part of our @artinmotion.dance family who helped us from New Street Station. Kev, I know you was up there watching your TV debut and giggling and forever looking down on your girls xxx.
"To our crew with us, you are truly awesome! Sorry, Hunters… but the competitive dancers got away!#CelebrityHunted #Winners #StandUpToCancer #Teamwork #whatanexperience."
