Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden is swapping the dance floor for a high-stakes challenge tonight in support of Stand Up to Cancer. Celebrity Hunted returns this evening, Monday, August 3, at 9pm on Channel 4, with 12 famous faces going on the run to evade the Hunters.
Among the participants is Welsh Strictly star Amy Dowden, who has teamed up with last year's victorious professional Carlos Gu. As the 35-year-old prepares for the gruelling reality show, here's a look into her world.
Cancer Battle and Recovery
Amy, from Caerphilly, Wales, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2023 at age 32. She underwent chemotherapy and two mastectomies, the latest in November last year. In 2024, she announced there was "no evidence of disease," calling it her "biggest accomplishment yet."
She recently marked three years since her initial mastectomy, sharing snaps from an Ibiza trip on social media. She wrote: "Three years ago today, I had just recently just my breast removed [sic] and was currently undergoing fertility treatment before starting chemotherapy."
"I was terrified, not only of the treatment itself, but of being thrown into a forced menopause because my cancer is hormone-fed."
"Fast forward exactly three years, and my perspective on life has completely changed. I live each day to the fullest, with so much gratitude for the little things I once took for granted."
She continued: "I know how lucky I am, and I never lose sight of that. Every day is a gift, and I'm determined to make the most of it. Here's to resilience, hope, and celebrating every milestone."
Marriage and Family Plans
Amy is married to fellow professional dancer Ben Jones, whom she met in 2011. They made history in 2016 as the first all-British duo to win the British National Latin Dance champions title in over 30 years. Ben proposed at a New Year's Eve party in 2017, and they wed on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales in 2022 after pandemic delays.
The couple run the Art in Motion dance academy in Dudley, West Midlands. Amy underwent an early, medically-induced menopause when chemotherapy began. They have frozen embryos, but it's unclear if she can carry a pregnancy.
Speaking to OK magazine, she said: "Obviously, there is a big, dark cloud over me. Will I become a mother?"
"I've wanted to be a mummy since I was a little girl. I was one of those girls who would always have a little baby Annabelle."
"And I have two gorgeous nephews, who I love to pieces."
"But we will cross that bridge when it comes to it and I will explore every option going."
Family History and NHS Gratitude
Amy appeared on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? earlier this year, where medical historian Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster revealed her paternal great-grandmother Louisa also battled breast cancer. Louisa lost her fight at just 39 in 1921.
Amy told Radio Times: "It took me back to being diagnosed with cancer myself."
"Agnes told me that cancer was incurable back then, so Louisa had to endure breast cancer without access to chemo or any modern medicine."
"It made me even more grateful for the NHS."
Celebrity Hunted airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
