Amy Dowden has mentioned her return to Strictly Come Dancing was thrown into doubt after one other most cancers scare.
The 34-year-old skilled dancer, who was twice identified with most cancers final 12 months, was rushed again to hospital for additional assessments as medical doctors have been involved about abnormalities in her breast after a check-up.
She mentioned she was “crushed” and had sleepless nights ready for the information.
However when getting the all-clear from her marketing consultant, Amy advised him “we haven’t had excellent news a lot, so thanks.”
Her newest well being fear was captured by BBC cameras filming Strictly Amy: Most cancers and Me, which documented her journey from preliminary analysis to her Strictly return this autumn.
“It was a scare, such a worrying time,” Amy mentioned.
“I’ll always remember them calling me to say we’re sorry however we’ve seen one thing we don’t just like the look of.
“I used to be in disbelief, I believed I can’t return by way of this once more, I can’t miss Strictly once more. My entire household have been heartbroken.”
Amy was initially identified with grade three breast most cancers, aged 32, in Could 2023 after discovering a lump in her breast the day earlier than she went on her honeymoon.
She hoped surgical procedure would resolve it, however two months later was advised medical doctors had discovered “extra tumours” and “one other kind of most cancers”.
The Strictly star, who had a mastectomy and has spoken of the heartbreak of shedding her hair after chemotherapy, made a shock look on the hit BBC present final October.
Amy revealed in February 2024 she had “no proof of illness” after a well being test and it was introduced in June she would return to Strictly’s skilled line-up for this 12 months’s collection.
“I believed I’d simply obtained my life again on monitor,” recalled Amy.
Amy she started feeling sick after getting her second spherical of a chemo drug nicknamed “purple satan”
She had simply danced in entrance of an viewers for the primary time in a 12 months when the outcomes of her annual MRI and mammogram put her “again on maintain”.
Assessments revealed widespread calcium deposits in one in every of her breasts and medical doctors have been nervous it may very well be the “precursor to invasive breast most cancers”.
“We’re so devastated for Amy once more,” her dad Richard advised the documentary.
“It’s one other blow, he added. “For us, it has taken fairly a toll. I simply want I may have all of it for her.”
Amy, who’s from Caerphilly, advised the documentary the newest scare made her “anxious” and “introduced again all the recollections” of what she went by way of the 12 months earlier than.
“It felt crushing, I felt sick to my core and so many sleepless nights nervous,” she added.
Amy has been in coaching with fellow skilled dancer Dianne Buswell forward of this autumn’s collection of Strictly Come Dancing
However the additional assessments proved that the abnormalities have been benign adjustments and she or he was “so relieved it was unreal”.
The all-clear has allowed her to focus totally on her return to Strictly, the BBC’s flagship Saturday evening TV present which has hit the headlines for the mistaken causes in latest months.
Two of Strictly’s skilled dancers – Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima – left the present amid allegations about their behaviour.
Pernice has denied any wrongdoing whereas Di Prima’s spokesman confirmed the star kicked superstar companion Zara McDermott as soon as throughout rehearsals final 12 months.
Amy welcomed documentary cameras into all areas of her most cancers therapy
Amy, who joined Strictly in 2017, mentioned returning to the dancefloor was one of many largest motivations of getting by way of her most cancers ordeal.
“I’m a correct household woman, I wouldn’t have been itching to get by way of my most cancers journey to get again on Strictly if it wasn’t a present made up of pure love, pleasure and happiness,” she mentioned.
“For me, it’s my completely satisfied place. My coronary heart is so completely satisfied to be again.
“The help I had final 12 months from the present was unimaginable, producers ringing me each single week to make me really feel like a part of the group as a result of they knew I wanted it.
“And once I was on the oncology unit final 12 months, everybody was speaking about Strictly – the nation loves it and it offers folks one thing to stay up for. I felt so proud I’m a part of that present.”
Amy mentioned Strictly saved her life as a result of a breast most cancers charity stroll with Giovanna Fletcher, the spouse of her dance companion McFly singer Tom Fletcher in 2021, prompted her to test her personal breasts.
“To be again on the dancefloor will likely be tremendous magical. It’s the very best present on the earth and I pinch myself on daily basis that I’m a part of it.”