Amy Dowden has opened up about how she was ready to quit Strictly Come Dancing after breast cancer left her physically and emotionally broken. The Welsh dancer, 35, was diagnosed in 2023 and underwent chemotherapy and two mastectomies, the most recent in November last year.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Dowden said she was at an 'ultimate low' and prepared to hang up her dancing shoes. However, fellow Strictly professional Carlos Gu, along with her husband Ben Jones, convinced her to keep going. 'If it wasn’t for them, I truly was gonna hang up my dancing shoes,' she said.
Carlos, who lost his grandmother and cousin to cancer, became Dowden's biggest supporter. 'The main reason we’re so bonded together is the moment she had cancer, I felt it,' he said. The pair’s friendship deepened further during filming of Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted, where they dodged expert hunters to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer.
Dowden allowed cameras to capture her receiving a chemotherapy injection during the show, determined to show the reality of life after diagnosis. She continues regular treatment to keep the disease at bay.
