24 May 2023 , 09:19
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Strictly Come Dancing favourite Amy Dowden already knows what it is to live with a debilitating health condition.
The professional dancer revealed this morning she has been diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer aged just 32.
The news is a devastating shock for the Latin dance champion, who received the diagnosis just last week, just months after her honeymoon.
But when it comes to painting on a smile and battling through pain and discomfort, Amy is a pro.
The brave star, who joined Strictly in 2017, was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease as a child, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can cause potentially life-threatening complications.
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She’s been determined it would not impact her dance career, persisting through Strictly rehearsals and live shows despite the symptoms which can include diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, tiredness and weight loss.
Amy, 32, has opened up about her health struggles (BBC/Guy Levy)
Amy detailed her struggle with Chron's in a 2020 documentary (amy_dowden/Instagram)During her 2019 Strictly series with McFly’s Tom Fletcher she suffered a flare up and needed to move in with the star.
“I have always been driven to win, so Crohn's was never going to hold me back," she said.
But she has been honest and open about the condition, and has helped many sufferers by speaking out about its impact on her.
In 2020 a documentary she made about the condition won a BAFTA Cymru award.
She was also given a Points of Light award by Rishi Sunak for raising awareness of Crohn's disease at Downing Street in March.
She said of the disease: “I know when I need to rest, and when I have to eat simply and drink lots of water."
She will no-doubt confront her cancer diagnosis with the same courage.
She said in an exclusive interview with Hello! : "I've been through quite a lot in my life and this is another hurdle. But if I'm positive and strong, I've got a really good chance of getting back out on the dancefloor as soon as possible.”
She added: "With what I've done for Crohn’s, I want to do the same here. If I can try and turn this negative into a positive, it's going to help me get through this."
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