Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has opened up about her battle with Crohn's disease, revealing that her family threatened to seek legal advice after doctors dismissed her symptoms. The 36-year-old dancer, who is currently competing on the BBC show with celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, 43, has spoken about her health struggles on The Lewis Nicholls Show podcast.
A childhood of pain and misdiagnosis
Dowden, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and now has "no evidence of disease", has lived with chronic inflammatory bowel condition Crohn's disease since she was 19. She suffered from severe pain, vomiting, fatigue, and regular hospital visits from childhood before finally getting a diagnosis.
Speaking on the podcast, Dowden recalled the frustration she and her family felt when one doctor advised her to "go and eat a Mars bar" after believing she had an eating disorder. The lack of support from medical professionals became so bad that her dad Richard threatened to seek legal advice.
Family's emotional plea
Reflecting on her mum Gillian's reaction, Dowden shared: "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 added: "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'."
Her dad then spoke to the doctor, saying: "We can't take this anymore, we're going to seek legal advice, you're not doing anything. This is not my little girl anymore. If this was your daughter, you wouldn't have it."
Diagnosis and relief
Following her father's conversation with the doctor, Dowden was transferred to UCL London after spending six weeks in hospital with no answers. Her new doctor then "took one look at me, listened to some of my symptoms, and said, 'I can't confirm it but I think you've got Crohn's disease'."
Dowden described the "relief" she and her family felt when she was eventually diagnosed, as she could then get the surgery and treatment she needed to "finally get on with my life" and pursue her dream of becoming a dancer.
She added: "My parents and I were just so upset because we didn't feel like doctors were listening to us. I think they saw a skinny dancer and thought, 'she's anorexic', and actually, I do eat, that wasn't the issue at all."
Despite her ordeal, Dowden said her struggles with Crohn's disease gave her "resilience" in life, and even helped her when she was later diagnosed with cancer. She admitted: "It [cancer] was also, in some respect, easier for me, because I'd already been through so many tests from a young age; long hospital stays, injections, infusions, that none of that was new to me."
