Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has praised professional dancer Amy Dowden for her bravery in appearing on the show without a wig following her cancer diagnosis. Dowden, 33, from Caerphilly, revealed she is more than halfway through her chemotherapy treatment.
Ballas commended Dowden for choosing not to wear a wig, saying the dancer wanted to 'shine light on cancer for young people'. The head judge, who has known Dowden since she was a juvenile dancer, has been writing letters to lift her spirits during treatment.
'I write about all my daft day to make her laugh when she's going through her treatments and just trying to lift her spirits a little bit,' Ballas said. 'She knows my mum, she knows my son very well and she knows my family. So, I can write her all personal things and she can have a giggle.'
Dowden underwent a mastectomy after being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in April. She has been sharing her cancer journey on social media and told presenter Claudia Winkleman she is 'doing really well' with chemotherapy.
'She wants to give strength to others and I've never met a woman like that in my life. She's amazing,' Ballas added.
