Strictly star Amy, 32: I have breast cancer
STRICTLY star Amy Dowden has told fans she is determined to get back on the dancefloor “as soon as possible” after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The professional dancer, 32, was hours away from jetting off to the Maldives for a belated honeymoon when she felt a lump.
After undergoing tests, she received the shocking news that she had grade three breast cancer last week.
Amy said: “All I wanted to know after I was told was, ‘OK, what’s the plan? How long until I’m back on the dancefloor?’
“My doctor explained to me that there are three grades, and three is the most aggressive. But they said they feel like they’ve caught mine early and to not be too alarmed because grade three would be expected in somebody of my age.
“But if I’m positive and strong, I’ve got a really good chance of getting back out on the dancefloor as soon as possible.”
Amy, from Caerphilly, South Wales, joined Strictly in 2017.
She has been partnered with celebrities including singer Tom Fletcher and EastEnders star James Bye.
The star discovered the lump in April while preparing for a honeymoon with husband Ben Jones, also a professional dancer, who she married last July.
Amy revealed that she has the CoppaFeel! charity to thank for her early cancer diagnosis. The dancer had taken part in a CoppaTrek! fundraising walk last year.
She said: “I spoke to so many incredible ladies who had battled breast cancer. This last year I made a conscious effort to check my breasts.
“CoppaFeel! has now potentially saved my life, because I don’t know how long this lump could have been there before I’d have noticed and done something about it.”
Amy lives with the chronic gut condition Crohn’s disease and previously fronted the BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Crohn’s and Me.
She added: “I’ve been through quite a lot in my life and this is another hurdle. If I can try and turn this negative into a positive, it’s going to help me get through this.”