In May 2023, Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden was given the earth-shattering news she had breast cancer. In an instant, life was put on hold and thrown into uncertainty. It was the day before her honeymoon when she discovered a lump, and shortly after, her fears were confirmed. She and her husband Ben had hopes to one day start a family. Later that year, she had been due to return to Strictly 鈥� a show she had dreamed of being part of since she was a girl. Instead, she faced the most turbulent year of her life and a battle for her health, fertility, and to dance again.
This deeply personal documentary follows Amy from just six days after her diagnosis. She took the brave decision to share her experiences, whatever unfolded, in the hope of helping others understand the reality of cancer at a young age. Amy never expected it would happen to her at 32.
- Watch Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me on 成人论坛 iPlayer and 成人论坛 One from 8pm, Monday 26 August.
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Interview with Amy Dowden
Inviting the cameras in after such a life-changing diagnosis is an extraordinarily brave decision. Can you tell us a little about how the documentary came to be and why you wanted to make it?
At the time I was filming my 成人论坛 series Dare To Dance. The producer (who has produced and directed this documentary) could tell something wasn鈥檛 right that week before when I was waiting for my results. I knew the crew and after my Crohn鈥檚 documentary, I knew the impact that made and how it made me accept my condition for the first time ever. I felt straight away, well maybe I could make a difference.
I never thought I would ever, ever be diagnosed with breast cancer at 32. I only came across it because I was checking myself. If I wasn鈥檛, I might not be here right now because I had Grade 3, the most aggressive type of cancer. If it can raise awareness and ten people start checking themselves from watching this documentary, I could potentially save a life.
Being in the public eye, I knew I wasn鈥檛 going to be able to shy away from it. It was scary and daunting and I did have friends and family saying 鈥榓re you sure you want to do this? But it gave me a focus as well throughout all of this.
We see in the documentary you sharing your story on social media from the beginning, what has it been like experiencing the huge response there has been to that?
It鈥檚 been unbelievable. So many people reached out to me and that made me not feel alone. Like I was the only 32 year old going through this - fertility treatment and chemotherapy, losing my hair.
This girl, Kelly, messaged me to say she was going through exactly the same thing as me and I made her no longer feel alone. And as awful as it was, she thanked me for sharing it. That for me straight away gave me the courage, like I鈥檇 done the right thing.
I wanted to be honest. I didn鈥檛 want people to think I wasn鈥檛 present because of my Crohn鈥檚 Disease. I can remember in the lead up to chemotherapy, there was one young lady who - again - in her late 20鈥檚 - had just completed chemo so I was messaging her asking so many questions. It became a real community for me online, which helped me equally. That I relied on and would never have had, if I had never spoken about it on social media.
We see your best friend Jenny, who had breast cancer herself, supporting you through your first chemo session - what are your memories of that time?
I was petrified. I was scared. I was emotional. I didn鈥檛 want to do it. I wanted to be at Strictly with my best friends who were sat in rehearsals. I didn鈥檛 want to lose my hair. I didn鈥檛 want to be ill. I don鈥檛 think I would have gone through those doors of chemo if it wasn鈥檛 for Jenny. She kept telling me I can do this, saying 鈥榣ook at me now鈥� and 鈥榶ou can do this鈥�. I had a massive cry beforehand. A massive cry when I got in the room. A massive cry when they started administering the chemo. I remember leaving feeling it wasn鈥檛 as bad as I thought it was going to be, but obviously then all the symptoms come afterwards. I just remember it was the most petrified I鈥檝e ever been in my entire life.
You courageously allowed the cameras to follow your fertility treatment. Can you tell us a little bit about why that was needed and what goes with it.
I had a hormone fed cancer, so they needed to put me into menopause because my hormones were feeding the cancer. My whole body was feeding cancer. But also because I was having chemotherapy and as amazing as chemotherapy is, it destroys a lot of cells in your body. Your eggs, your ovaries, everything can be damaged and not necessarily reboot again.
Since we got married, the question we鈥檙e asked the most is 鈥榃hen are you going to have kids?鈥� and my body can鈥檛 go through that right now. You produce so many hormones when you鈥檙e pregnant, I鈥檇 be at such a high risk of my cancer returning. Of course we want children, but we still don鈥檛 know. There are so many options, which we鈥檙e grateful for.
With fertility and the pressure in general, you don鈥檛 know what someone is going through. People should bear that in mind. We need to educate.
The film documents your fight to get back to the dancefloor. Has that always been your primary goal and why was being able to dance again such an important driver in what鈥檚 kept you going through a really turbulent year?
For me, dancing has always got me through the darkest times. When I鈥檓 dancing, I forget all my worries, stresses and pain in life. It鈥檚 where I鈥檓 happiest.
When you鈥檙e told you鈥檝e got cancer, in those words, in a click of the fingers, your life changes. You have everything stripped away from you. I had my dancing took away from me what I love most in the world. Strictly is something I worked all my life for, and I wasn鈥檛 going to let cancer stop me from going back. Recovering from chemo was grim, it was awful. But the desire of being back on the dancefloor was what kept me motivated and determined.
Everyone鈥檚 different. There鈥檚 no textbook on how to deal with cancer. No right or wrong way - you鈥檝e got to do what鈥檚 right for you - but I needed that goal. I needed that purpose. Because I鈥檓 not sure what I would have done otherwise.
The documentary is very raw and honest and doesn鈥檛 shy away from your most difficult of times. What would you say the hardest part of the last 15 months has been?
It鈥檚 been a bit of everything. Everything I love most taken away from me, my dancing taken away from me. I also think it鈥檚 the cruelness of what it does to your family, your loved ones watching you. That鈥檚 been really hard. To watch the pain in my parent鈥檚 eyes, watching them suffer watching me go through it.
Tell us about the moment in February when you received the news that there was no sign of disease鈥�
The feeling was just incredible. There are no words to describe it. The relief was just immense. Everything I鈥檇 gone through was just so worthwhile. I just felt like my life could resume.
In the film, we see your emotional return to Strictly to dance in last year鈥檚 final without a wig. How special and important was that for you?
Being back at Strictly was my normality and what I needed. Especially doing chemo. It was getting through the bad days so I could be back with my best friends. I鈥檓 so grateful to the producers, to the dancers, to the whole team for keeping me included and looking after me.
Going without a wig, I felt so empowered afterwards and I didn鈥檛 realise at the time the impact it would have. I felt it was like ripping a plaster off, I could be Amy and nothing else mattered now. I didn鈥檛 need to hide away anymore. I could be accepted. And I guess it was to show the reality and impact of what I was truly going through.
Knowing what it did for the community and people going through chemo but also for alopecia, and little girls and boys losing their hair. It鈥檚 one of the most rewarding things I鈥檝e ever done.
We are thrilled to bits to hear you are returning to this year鈥檚 series. How are you feeling about it?
Yay! I am so excited. I鈥檓 excited for every element. It feels like it鈥檚 my first year again. I鈥檓 excited to see the whole team, for costumes, for dance routines, to meet the celebrities, the judges. Every single part of the show, I am buzzing about. Everyone鈥檚 laughing at me because I am just smiling constantly. I am so grateful to get this opportunity.
How has all that鈥檚 happened in last 15 months changed you or made you view things differently? What would you say to Amy 15 months ago?
Go grab life. Nikki, a remarkable young lady in her 30鈥檚 who I connected to online unfortunately passed away from breast cancer during my treatment last year. She always said 鈥榞o grab life鈥� and that鈥檚 what she did. I鈥檓 determined to live by her motto. I鈥檝e learned having my hair, my eyebrows, my eyelashes stripped away from me. I gained two stone in weight, I was on steroids, chemo, broken foot - you name it - and I鈥檝e learned that appearance really doesn鈥檛 matter. Your soul shines through. I was stripped bare and still accepted. I鈥檝e learnt to love and appreciate every single moment even more in life.
Your family and close friends including Dianne Buswell also feature heavily in the documentary. Can you tell us a little bit about what their support has meant to you this past year?
Do you know what, you really learn who your true friends and family are during this time and I鈥檓 so lucky to have the best. Just knowing when they need to give me a hug or make me laugh, make me smile, it just helps with being ill. They just know you inside out and having that support and that network around you, I鈥檓 forever grateful. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檒l ever be able to pay them back for it.
Lastly, what do you hope that viewers take away from the film?
I hope that through the fertility treatment, that educates and helps people. There are so many women out there going through treatment, I want them to know they鈥檙e not alone. Get people understanding the pressures on couples to have children and that it鈥檚 not always easy and possible. The trolling online, to educate trollers. But most importantly, to get people checking themselves. You know your own body, it doesn鈥檛 even have to be a lump on your chest. If there鈥檚 something not right, to go to your GP. Early detection can save lives. And if you鈥檙e not checking, who is?