The professional dancer forced to miss the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing as she underwent treatment for breast cancer
Amy Dowden has said why she'd 'go back' two years during her cancer journey as she shared the emotional reason having a reminder of what she's been through.
The professional dancer was forced to miss the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing as she underwent treatment for breast cancer. She shared her diagnosis publicly after being given the news in May 2023.
She told how she'd found a lump in April, the day before her honeymoon with fellow dancer Ben Jones, and had to undergo a single mastectomy before having chemotherapy treatment.
In February 2024, Amy announced she had "no evidence of disease" following tests and later made a triumphant return to Strictly for its 20th-anniversary series.
However, in an unfortunate turn of events, she had to pull out of the series after she injured her foot, leaving co-star Lauren Oakley to fill her place, partnering JLS star JB Gill.
Amy has, however, since been seen touring the country alongside Strictly pal Carlos Gu in their own joint-headline tour, and more recently she was seen performing for royalty during the 80th VE Day celebrations.
But Amy is often hit with a reminder about what she went through and having been to the hospital for her monthly injection, due to having had a hormone-fed cancer, her phone served her a reminder of one of the moments before her official diagnosis.
Sharing a picture she had taken in which she could be seen covering her breast to show a dressing on the side, Amy wrote on her Instagram Story: "This is the picture that came up. Exactly two years ago today. The arrows I drew then were where I could feel two lumps!
"Gosh, what I would [do to] o back and tell myself then. Please, this is a gentle reminder to check yourself. If you're not, who is?"
She also added:" The plaster is where they make an incision and then go through there with an ultrasound machine to then biopst the lumps found. Again, I'm no Dr but from what I understood."
Amy also spoke in a video to her followers in which she said: "Two years ago today, it actually came up on my phone, I had my biopsies. I ended up having to go twice, I had six in total.
And it just reminded me that gosh, two years ago that whirlwind and look at me now!" She said it also meant it had been two years since her husband Ben was called to the hospital and discovered what his wife was going through, after she kept her health concerns from him.
She added: "It just made me realise what I would go back to tell myself then, and if only I could see myself two years on. I'm just living life to the absolute full. I've got another busy week this week but just super grateful.
"I guess this is for anybody having a tough time right now, like I always said in my treatment, 'this too shall pass' and 'don't get bitter, get better'. This morning when I noticed it was two years, it was quite a reflection."
