Amy Dowden, the Strictly Come Dancing star, was left in tears during an episode of BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? after discovering that her great-grandmother died of breast cancer at the age of 39 – the same type of cancer Amy herself battled.
The 34-year-old dancer, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, was researching her father's side of the family when she learned that her great-grandmother, Louisa, died in 1921, leaving behind six children, including Amy's grandfather Frank, who was informally adopted.
“Oh my goodness,” Amy said, visibly emotional. “That’s made me a little bit emotional. She was only in her 30s. I wonder if there’s a link between her and me.”
Reflecting on the tragedy, Amy added: “What an awful few years they went through, the war and then this cancer diagnosis. My mum had breast cancer and witnessing her go through it, that was tough. Just the thought of the family having to go through what we went through, and it would have been worse then.”
Amy, who documented her own cancer journey publicly, noted that Louisa had one of the same types of breast cancer as her. “Knowing what she went through is horrible, but I’m lucky, I’m still here; it took her life, so it’s a bit raw,” she said.
The episode also revealed that a 13-year-old relative of Amy's was murdered, adding to the emotional weight of the programme. Who Do You Think You Are? airs on Tuesday 2 June at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
