Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has marked the anniversary of her second mastectomy with a hospital photo and a heartfelt Instagram message, reflecting on what she described as an "unbelievable week" that changed her feelings about a previously difficult time of year.
The 36-year-old dancer shared a photograph of herself recovering in hospital with a cannula in her arm, surrounded by loved ones, and revealed that it had been a year since she underwent the operation. In the caption, she wrote: "A year today I had my other breast off!"
A Changed Outlook on November
Amy admitted that the beginning of November had previously been a particularly painful period, with Halloween bringing back difficult memories from the past three years. However, she explained that her feelings had now shifted after what she called an "unbelievable week".
She added: "I dreaded the start of November and Halloween because of the last three years and now that's changed after the most unbelievable week! My heart is so full, I'm so grateful and I'm a big believer people are sent to you for a reason."
Her Breast Cancer Journey
Amy first revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in May 2023 after discovering a lump in her breast. She underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy as part of her treatment before later receiving the news that there was no evidence of disease.
She now shows "no evidence of disease" and is back competing for the Glitterball trophy after having a second preventative mastectomy in November 2025. Throughout her journey, she has spoken candidly about the physical and emotional challenges of treatment while continuing to inspire fans with her determination to return to dancing.
Living with Crohn's Disease
The dancer also lives with chronic inflammatory bowel condition Crohn's disease. She eventually received her diagnosis at 19, having suffered debilitating pain, sickness, fatigue and repeated hospital stays since childhood.
Amy had reached a point where she was hospitalised for six weeks while feeling the most unwell she had ever felt "in my life", which forced her father, Richard, to intervene. Speaking on The Lewis Nicholls Show podcast in October, she recalled the frustration both she and her family felt when one doctor dismissed her symptoms, telling her to "go and eat a Mars bar" after wrongly assuming she had an eating disorder.
The inadequate care became so alarming that Amy's father warned of potential legal proceedings. Describing her mother Gillian's reaction, Amy said: "I can remember my mum burst into tears in that appointment and I was so ill, I was just in shock and I just wanted answers. And then my mum said, 'well, if that's what you think, you need to treat her for that then, she needs help', and they didn't."
She continued: "And I can remember just breaking down in tears, and then when I was 19, I was that poorly, I was in hospital and I was at absolute... I was so ill. I don't think, except from when I had sepsis, that I've ever been this ill in my life and they ended up calling my parents at about three o'clock in the morning and I said, 'I can't do this anymore'. And they came down to the hospital, and the nurses said how poorly I was, and then my dad saw the doctor and he was just like, 'we can't take this anymore, we're going to seek legal advice, you're not doing anything'. And my dad was like, 'this is not my little girl anymore. If this was your daughter, you wouldn't have it.'"
