Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden’s health journey as she’s forced to exit competition
Amy Dowden has been forced to quit this year’s Strictly due to injury, which is the second time she has been prevented from dancing in the competition as a result of health complications.
The 34-year-old professional ballroom dancer was rushed to hospital as a “precaution” on 26 October for an undisclosed illness, which meant she did not perform in the following show, with pro dancer Lauren Oakley stepping in to dance with Dowden’s celebrity partner JB Gill instead.
Dowden, who joined the show in 2017, has since announced that she will not take part in the remainder of this year’s competition due to a stress fracture in her shin. Oakley will continue in her replacement.
“I’m absolutely gutted, I need to rest for a couple of weeks,” Dowden said on It Takes Two. “Hopefully I will be back dancing, hopefully in a group number by the end of the series. Fingers crossed.”
It comes as a huge blow to Dowden who had been working hard to build up her strength to dance again following her treatment for breast cancer in 2023, which meant she was unable to compete in last year’s Strictly.
In May 2023, Dowden was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of stage three breast cancer finding a lump in her breast the day before her Maldives honeymoon with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones.
She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and fertility treatment in those nine months and experienced a series of major setbacks in that time, including doctors finding a blood clot in her lung, sepsis and undergoing fertility treatment.
During her chemotherapy treatment and recovery period, Dowden frequently kept fans updated on her condition via social media and told them it was her goal to get back on the Strictly dancefloor.
In Autumn 2023, while Dowden was still receiving treatment, she would make small cameo appearances on Strictly despite not being able to compete – like reading out the terms and conditions or joining the stars backstage in the Clauditorium (the area hosted by Claudia Winkleman).
However, in November 2023, Dowden was unable to make any appearances in the remaining episodes because she fractured her foot.
That journey is documented in the BBC film, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which follows Dowden from the beginning of her diagnosis as she navigates each stage of her treatment. At some of the most difficult parts of her treatment, Dowden recalled being in agony as she wore a cold cap during treatment to try and retain her hair – but decided to shave her hair off, surrounded by family and friends while at home.
On 9 November 2023, Dowden celebrated after she had completed all eight rounds of chemotherapy. She was told she had “no evidence of disease” in February 2024.
Reflecting on the hardest year of her life in the documentary, Dowden said: “In the past year, I’ve had a mastectomy, fertility treatment, chemotherapy, sepsis, blood clots, a broken foot and finally it’s time for me to get back on that dancefloor.”
“We are finally here,” Dowden said on Instagram as she arrived at the hospital for her final session of chemotherapy. “I’ve cried all morning! Right, an afternoon of chemo and then I’m so lucky and grateful to be able to ring that bell! Will never take it for granted! Thank you to the incredible Sheldon Unit! You are all amazing NHS, all true heroes.”
Dowden also has Crohn’s disease, a lifelong gut disease that causes chronic bowel inflammation.
In 2019, Dowden revealed she was suffering from the disease, and fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn’s And Me, in which she spoke about her experience with the condition and met other people living with Crohn’s.
In January 2022 she was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn’s flare-up while on the Strictly live tour.
She had previously suffered a flare-up in November 2021, shortly after the filming of Strictly Come Dancing, when she briefly moved in with her celebrity partner, McFly star Tom Fletcher, and his wife Giovanna, while her husband was away.
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 intense abdominal pain, severe vomiting, exhaustion and bloody diarrhoea, among other symptoms.
Speaking about her recent injury, Dowden clarified that the stress fracture wasn’t a repeat of any previous injuries or previous treatment for breast cancer.
