'Until I'm back dancing, I don't think I will accept it': Amy Dowden reveals 'anger' at cancer

Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has discussed the emotional effect her recent cancer diagnosis has had.

The 33-year-old Welsh dancer said it will “take a while to accept” being diagnosed at such a young age and that she does get “angry” about it.

Amy Dowden, who joined the Strictly team in 2017, revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in May.

She described finding a lump in her breast in April, a day before going to the Maldives on her honeymoon with fellow professional dancer and husband Ben Jones. 

In order to raise awareness about her diagnosis, Amy has documented her experiences with chemotherapy on social media, as well as urging others to check themselves. 

The Caerphilly-born dancer announced in June that she had undergone a mastectomy after discovering that she had stage three breast cancer at the age of 32.

Appearing in December’s issue of Women’s Health UK, she said: “I always say I never asked (for) this to happen to me.

“I’ve always worked so hard. I’ve always been a good person. I looked after myself, I’ve exercised well, haven’t smoked… I do get angry.

“I just think I’ve been dealt a difficult one… I think it’ll take a while to accept.

“It took me a long time to accept my Crohn’s. Until I’m back dancing and back to my normal self, I don’t think I will accept it.”

The professional dancer will appear on the cover without a wig, to which she said: “Finding out I had Crohn’s, I didn’t ever have anyone in the public eye to look up to or to say to my friends ‘That’s what I’ve got.’

“And I just had a little moment – I imagined teenagers being able to go to school and being able to embrace (not having hair) or go swimming and just be like ‘I’m like Amy who’s off Strictly’.

“And that just gave me the confidence to go ‘Yeah, let’s do this’.”

Amy had previously shared a video on her Instagram account publicly documenting shaving her head in an attempt to “take control”.

She continued: “When I’m walking outside and I’ve got my headscarf on, I don’t want looks of sympathy or feeling sorry for me – I’m Amy… Sometimes people don’t know how to address it.

“Just ask how I am – I will answer you. We don’t want you to feel sorry for us. We’re embracing it. Stand strong with us… Don’t give me that pity look – I don’t need it!”

Earlier this month, it was announced she would not appear on this year’s BBC One show, Strictly Come Dancing, as she had fractured her foot. 

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