Amy Dowden Opens Up About Cancer Battle And Online Trolling In Heartfelt BBC Documentary
Amy Dowden is revealing the harrowing journey she faced after being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2023, just days after returning from her honeymoon with husband Ben Jones. In what has been the toughest year of her life, the 34-year-old dancer and Strictly Come Dancing star endured a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and even a near-fatal bout of sepsis.
In a new BBC documentary titled Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, airing August 26, Amy shares her deeply personal battle with the disease and the challenges she faced along the way. In a clip obtained by The Mirror, Amy shockingly reveals that doctors discovered another type of cancer during a follow-up check after her initial treatment.
“It was a scare, such a worrying time,” she said, recalling the moment she received the call from her doctors. “I’ll never forget them calling me to say we’re sorry, but we’ve seen something we don’t like the look of.”
The news was devastating for Amy and her family, who were heartbroken at the thought of her going through yet another round of treatment. “I was in disbelief,” Amy admitted. “I thought, I can’t go back through this again, I can’t miss Strictly again.”
Amy’s passion for dance and her fear of losing her job on Strictly were among her greatest concerns during her battle with cancer. In an emotional moment captured in the documentary, Amy revealed, “When I had to tell Strictly, I was asking, ‘Can I keep my job?’ because that was the scariest thing. To dance at the highest level, you have to be as fit as an athlete. I was scared about how treatment would affect my body.”
Throughout her treatment, Amy faced cruel online trolling, with some accusing her of being a “narcissist” and an “attention seeker” for sharing her journey publicly. The hurtful comments came at a time when Amy was already struggling with sleepless nights and the physical toll of her treatment.
“Sometimes I was up at 2 a.m. and couldn’t sleep because the steroids were keeping me up,” Amy confessed. “I was so low, and then receiving those messages was heartbreaking. I just feel like it’s not spoken about.”
The documentary also sheds light on Amy’s call for stricter actions against online trolls, especially those whose bullying leads to tragic consequences. “When someone is bullying someone online and they take their own life, it’s kind of like manslaughter. Is there going to be punishment to stop people doing it? It’s awful,” she stated.
Despite the negativity, Amy has also found strength in the support of her loved ones, including her parents, husband Ben, and her Strictly Come Dancing family. However, she admitted that some friends distanced themselves after her diagnosis, which came just months after her wedding. “I was heartbroken because I wanted to be on the dance floor,” she said, reflecting on how her treatment prevented her from participating in Strictly last year.
As Amy prepares to return to the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, she hopes her documentary will inspire others to stay vigilant about their health. “A year ago, I was recently married and about to go on honeymoon, it was an exciting new chapter in my life, but finding a lump on my breast changed my life,” she shared.
“I never thought at my age I would get cancer, and despite having family members and friends who were cancer survivors, had no idea just what the impact on my life would be,” she added.
