💔 STRICTLY STAR AMY DOWDEN SHARES HEARTBREAKING HEALTH UPDATE AFTER ADMITTING SHE “HIT ROCK BOTTOM”

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has opened up about her recovery journey, three years on from her breast cancer diagnosis. Last month, the BBC confirmed that Amy, along with her fellow professionals including Katya Jones and Carlos Gu, would be returning for the programme’s 2026 series.

The forthcoming season will mark Amy’s decade on the Strictly dance floor, after facing a series of health challenges in recent years.

In 2023, the professional dancer received a breast cancer diagnosis and went through chemotherapy and a mastectomy.

After announcing she was in remission in February the following year, the Welsh dancer made her Strictly comeback and was delighted to resume doing what she loves.

However, the 35-year-old subsequently encountered another blow when she fractured her foot and collapsed backstage, forcing her to exit the competition.

Strictly’s Amy Dowden said returning to dancing has given her ‘a new lease of life’ (Image: Amy Dowden Instagram)

Looking back on the challenging time, she told Closer Magazine: “By the end of 2024 I was mentally at rock bottom.

“I’d broken my bones, I’d lost my hair and my body had been through so much. I’d gained weight from the [cancer] treatment and while I’d never put myself under pressure to look a certain way, I wasn’t confident.

“I’d gone into Strictly thinking that would fix it all but then I had to pull out.”

After the setback, Amy confessed her confidence had hit “an all-time low” and revealed she nearly abandoned dancing completely.

Now in a far happier place, the dancer is gearing up for the second leg of her Reborn tour alongside her co-star and close friend Carlos.

She revealed that being encouraged to return to the studio and dance once more has given her “a new lease of life”.

“It gave me my spark back. Dance is the therapy I didn’t realise I needed,” she added. Amy also provided an update on her health following a second mastectomy in November as a precautionary measure.

Amy Dowden will return to Strictly Come Dancing later this year (Image: PA)

“We made the decision after seeing changes in my scans,” she revealed. “I remember waking up from surgery and looking at my mum and thinking, ‘Oh, it’s done’.

“Luckily when they took the breast out, it was okay, but it was 100 per cent the right decision,” she explained.

Casting her eye towards the upcoming Strictly series, Amy said she is now “feeling stronger and happier”.

“I feel really content and so excited to be a part of Strictly for my tenth year,” she added. During an appearance on ITV News this week, she added of her health: “I’m doing really, really well.”

Also taking to the dance floor this series are; Julian Caillon, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola.

Returning to the judging panel are Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas, who will be keeping a keen eye on every performance throughout the series.

It has since been confirmed that new hosts Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe will be stepping into presenting roles, following the departures of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.