Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden has endured a challenging few years, but now says her experiences have made her “see life in a different way” as she contemplates a new career path. The Strictly star was diagnosed with grade III breast cancer in May 2023, and a few months later, doctors discovered “another type of cancer,” forcing her to withdraw from the upcoming season of Strictly.
Now, Strictly star Amy is beginning to look towards the future once more. Speaking to Heat Magazine, she said: “At the moment, I’m absolutely loving dancing, and that’s where I want to be. But I would love to do some more presenting.”
She continued: “Having cancer has completely changed me – it’s made me see life in a different way. It’s made me realise that I need to grab hold of life and take every opportunity.”
Just two days after starting chemotherapy, Amy was diagnosed with potentially fatal sepsis reports Wales Online.
Recalling the experience to Hello!, Magazine, she said: “I wasn’t feeling too bad that day, just sick, but a couple of hours later I started having a temperature of 37.7C.”
She added: “At the time, I didn’t realise that having a temperature of 37.5C or above could be fatal for a chemo patient. I just thought it was my reaction to chemo, but as it turned out, I had already got an infection.”
This infection led to a dramatic touch-and-go period in hospital: “The doctors and nurses were telling me I had sepsis and that it was life-threatening but I wasn’t taking it in,” she admitted. “I didn’t become properly aware until later.”
Doctors succeeded in containing the sepsis, yet for 34 year old Amy, the challenges were far from over. Having lost her hair to chemotherapy, she courageously appeared on Strictly without her wig.
However, months later, Amy suffered a broken foot, which barred her from continuing in that year’s Strictly series. Fortunately, there’s a glimmer of hope: the latest medical check-up indicated “no sign of the disease”, as reported by the doctors, though Amy emphasizes that she won’t be considered officially “all clear” for a period of five years.