Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancer Amy Dowden has openly acknowledged that she might have hurried her comeback to the popular BBC dance competition. The 35-year-old Welsh dancer received a distressing stage three breast cancer diagnosis in May 2023 at the age of 32.
Her challenging treatment plan involved chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and a mastectomy as she courageously fought against the illness.
Last year, Amy returned to Strictly alongside Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, but their journey was short-lived as they were the first pair eliminated from the 2025 series.
Just a month after exiting the competition, Amy underwent a second preventative mastectomy in November 2025, as reported by Wales Online.
Nearly six months post her departure from the show, Amy has admitted that her eagerness to resume her previous life may have clouded her judgment. She disclosed in an interview with the i newspaper that she felt she went back too soon, struggling to gauge when she truly felt ‘back’ due to the gradual recovery process post-chemo.
Amy has been open about the mental and physical struggles she faced while trying to return to dancing following her diagnosis. In a December interview with the BBC, she emotionally acknowledged the permanent changes she has experienced, expressing that she no longer feels like her former self and understands that she will not fully regain her past identity.
While Amy, hailing from Caerphilly, Wales, bravely battles cancer, she has also shared her thoughts on the possibility of motherhood. Despite her marriage to fellow dancer Ben Jones in 2022 and preserving five embryos, her cancer treatment-induced menopause has made her future motherhood uncertain.
In a candid conversation with the Mirror, Amy expressed her deep desire to become a mother but recognizes the challenges ahead. She mentioned her lifelong dream of motherhood, her love for her nephews, and her willingness to explore all options when the time comes.
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