Amy Dowden won over legions of fans as a professional on Strictly Come Dancing with her sunny personality and sparkling dance moves, but it has been her health struggles that have endeared her even further to the public.
The Welsh dancer will not take part in the rest of the BBC dance competition this year while she recovers from a foot injury, the show announced on Monday.
The 34-year-old could not compete in Strictly last year because she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer and she also suffered a broken foot.
Dowden first found a lump in her breast the day before going to the Maldives on her honeymoon with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones, and was subsequently diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
After undergoing treatment including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy, she announced in February that tests showed she has “no evidence of disease”.
It was later confirmed she would return to Strictly this year for its 20th anniversary series and she was partnered with JLS star JB Gill, who will now be paired with professional Lauren Oakley.
In 2019, Dowden revealed she was suffering from Crohn’s disease, and fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn’s And Me, in which she spoke about her battle with the condition and met other people with Crohn’s to hear about their experiences.
In January 2022, she was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn’s flare-up while on the Strictly live tour.
Crohn’s is described by the NHS as a lifelong condition in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed.
People with the disease commonly experience phases of stomach aches and cramps, fatigue and diarrhoea, among other symptoms, according to the NHS website.
The dancer from Caerphilly has previously said she was diagnosed with the condition when she was a child, but did not reveal she had it when she joined Strictly, because she “didn’t want to be known as ‘Amy with Crohn’s’”.
As an advocate and ambassador for charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours earlier this year for her services to fundraising and raising awareness of the disease.
At the time she told the PA news agency the honour was “beyond my wildest dreams” and accepted it on “on behalf” of all those who live with the inflammatory bowel disease.
She added: “I accept it on behalf of all those who live with Crohn’s disease, and will continue campaigning to raise awareness for and research into this terrible chronic illness.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful NHS staff who have helped me over the years and Crohn’s & Colitis UK who do so much to support fellow sufferers.”
Dowden documented her journey undergoing cancer treatment after seeing the impact on others of her documentary discussing her Crohn’s disease and how it had helped her “accept” her own condition for the “first time ever”.
A former British national Latin dance champion, Dowden joined Strictly in 2017, and in 2019 she was a finalist with TV presenter Karim Zeroual.
Her other celebrity partners have included entertainer Brian Conley, Red Dwarf star Danny John-Jules, TV presenter JJ Chalmers and EastEnders actor James Bye.
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