Amy Dowden has opened up about a moment that left her in "floods of tears" while fighting breast cancer. The 35-year-old was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer in 2023 after finding a lump just before her postponed honeymoon was due to begin.
Treatment and setback
The Welsh Strictly Come Dancing star underwent extensive treatment, including a mastectomy to remove two tumours and chemotherapy. While undergoing treatment, medics also identified a second type of cancer, necessitating additional chemotherapy.
By February 2024, there was no evidence of disease. The subsequent year saw the dancer undergo a preventative mastectomy on her left breast. She emphasised that this was not a fresh cancer diagnosis, but rather a precautionary measure advised by her medical team to minimise her future risk.
Traumatised by further tests
Looking back on her cancer ordeal, Amy confessed she felt "traumatised" upon discovering her ordeal had not yet concluded. "Obviously I got all of my treatment, I just wanted to get my life back and I wanted to get my career back on the go and then when I went for my tests and it came back as 'We want to investigate further', I was just traumatised," she recalled.
"I was regularly checking my breasts and trying to be on top of everything and, you know, while I was having care, I was trying to make sure that I was doing that too. And I was just like, 'I can't go through everything that I have already been through again' and my mum has had breast cancer," she added.
Comfort at Girls Aloud concert
Following the news that she required a biopsy and additional tests, Amy attended a Girls Aloud concert, where the group honoured Sarah Harding, who sadly died from breast cancer aged 39 in 2021. Throughout the poignant tribute, Amy said Kimberley Walsh spotted her crying in the crowd and subsequently offered comfort backstage.
"I remember Kimberley looking down on me, literally on stage, and she could see I was in floods of tears," she recalled. "She was like, 'Are you okay? I know that was hard' And I was like, 'Ah, just something has happened today' and it was just constantly in the back of my mind."
"And I just knew, 'I cannot go through what I've already gone through again, chemotherapy,' and also I knew I just got my career back on track."
Career and future fears
Amy explained that, similar to elite sportspeople, a dancer's professional life is "short-lived" due to its demanding physical nature. "You can go on for as long as you can but it's short lived," she continued on the Breast Cancer Uncovered podcast. "And I already felt I had been robbed for so long, but also we had learned about some more family history and that scared me.
"I want to be a mum and I had hormone-fed cancer, so that was in the back of my mind."
Amy recently revealed she "still suffers" from treatment side effects, though she's in a significantly improved state and is preparing for this year's Strictly Come Dancing. Amy, alongside her co-star Carlos Gu, continue their journey on Celebrity Hunted tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
