In a post that stopped the Strictly family in its tracks, professional dancer Amy Dowden, 35, has revealed her breast cancer has returned, forcing her to undergo emergency surgery and step away from the current series.
Just 18 months after ringing the bell to mark the end of chemotherapy and a single mastectomy, Amy discovered a new lump in October. Scans confirmed the worst: the cancer is back and has spread, requiring an immediate second mastectomy scheduled for this week, followed by further treatment.
“I’m heartbroken,” Amy wrote on Instagram on December 3, 2025. “I was so ready to be back on the floor full-time with my Strictly family. But my body has other plans right now.” She added: “I just want to show there’s life after cancer — and I still believe that, even on the hardest days.”
Amy first shared her diagnosis in May 2023, weeks after marrying her long-term partner Ben Jones. What followed was a brutal year of chemotherapy, sepsis, a broken foot from an adverse reaction, and the loss of her hair and confidence. Yet she returned triumphantly last year, competing full-time and reaching the quarter-final with celebrity partner JB Gill.
This time, the recurrence is more aggressive. Doctors have classified it as “locally advanced” and Amy faces another mastectomy on her remaining breast, plus possible radiotherapy and hormone therapy. “It feels like déjà vu, but worse,” she admitted in a raw video, tears falling. “I thought I’d beaten it.”
The Strictly cast has rallied around her. Lauren Oakley, who replaced Amy when she withdrew earlier this season due to a foot injury, posted: “My beautiful brave friend — we’ve got you forever.” Carlos Gu, JB Gill, and Dianne Buswell flooded her comments with hearts and prayers. Head judge Shirley Ballas wrote: “You are the definition of strength. We love you.”
Amy’s honesty has already helped countless others. Her 2024 memoir Dancing Through The Storm became a bestseller, and she launched the Dare2Dance campaign to encourage movement during treatment. Even now, facing surgery again, she vows to return: “I’ll be back on that floor one day — glitter, heels, and all.”
Fans have flooded social media with #AmyStrong, raising over £80,000 for CoppaFeel! and Breast Cancer Now in 24 hours. “She’s our warrior princess,” wrote one follower. “Cancer picked the wrong dancer to mess with twice.”
At just 35, Amy Dowden should be living her dream — instead she’s fighting for her life again. Yet through every scan, every surgery, every tear, she keeps proving her own words true: there is life after cancer — and she’s determined to dance through it.
Get well soon, Amy. The ballroom will be waiting.
