Strictly stars hail 'brave and powerful' Amy Dowden at Pride of Britain

12 October 2023 , 17:00

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Strictly stars hail 'brave and powerful' Amy Dowden at Pride of Britain

Amy Dowden has been hailed as "beautiful and brave" by her Strictly co-stars as she made a powerful statement on the Pride of Britain red carpet on Sunday.

The professional dancer, 33, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer earlier this year and has been undergoing chemotherapy. Sadly, because of this, she has been unable to have a celebrity partner and take part in the show, but she made a big comeback on Saturday to open the phone lines. She had contemplated wearing a wig on the programme, but bravely decided to appear on Strictly with her shaved head.

She went on to join her fellow Strictly stars at Pride of Britain to celebrate those raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, who she's previously attributed to saving her life. Speaking to the Mirror on the red carpet, professional dancer Gorka Marquez said: "I love Amy, everything she’s been through… I’m getting goosebumps just saying it. Everything she’s going through, she’s such a warrior. She was a warrior before and even now - with everything she’s going through she has a smile and I know she’s inspired so many people, helped so many people out there.

Amy Dowden was supported by her Strictly pals (Instagram / jmanrara)

Shirley Ballas praised the 'brave' professional dancer (Getty Images)

"So I’m grateful we have our family on Strictly, we’re all here supporting her. She has such a strong mentality - like I said before, she was a warrior. I was having a chat with her the other day and she has such a positive mind, she’s so determined."

Head Judge Shirley Ballas hailed Amy's return on Saturday as "beautiful" and described her as a "wholesome person". She also explained how they often kept in touch and they sent one another letters. "It’s just such a beautiful moment to see for someone to step outside onto the national stage not wearing a wig. Just think about how many other young ladies who are going through that and the confidence that gave from Amy, who is such a beautiful, wholesome person. It’s incredible that she’s even going through that so I feel sorry for her but she’s so good and so powerful about how she’s tackling this and she’s a great role model for anybody.

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Amy returned to Strictly last Saturday (BBC)

"I send her flowers and notes and letters and tell her what's been going on. My mum just had shingles, so I was sharing that. She has Crohns and my niece has Crohns, so it's difficult."

Strictly 2023 winner Hamza spoke of how he is currently watching the show, and how powerful he found watching her return was knowing what she was going through. "It’s just such a beautiful moment to see for someone to step outside onto the national stage not wearing a wig," he said. "Just think about how many other young ladies who are going through that and the confidence that gave from Amy, who is such a beautiful, wholesome person. It’s incredible that she’s even going through that so I feel sorry for her but she’s so good and so powerful about how she’s tackling this and she’s a great role model for anybody."

"I was over the moon [to see her back]," pro Graziano Di Prima gushed. "Amy is one of us, she’s a friend and the fact that she has been so strong and been so positive for us was like, ‘Wow’. Even to see her in the corridor before… we are literally friends and she is going through that but at the same time seeing how strong she is, it’s incredible and I don’t have any words to describe that."

Zara McDermott, who is a contestant on this year's show, added: "It was so lovely her being there [on Saturday], supporting everyone else and just being there for everybody considering she’s going through so much. She’s so special."

Rose Hill