Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has posted an emotional tribute following the d3ath of her âdarling friendâ from a blood clot on the brain just days after childbirth. The Welsh dancer, 35, told her 723,000 Instagram followers that she had been absent from the platform while trying to process the devastating news of close friend Bexâs passing.
Dowden published a series of photographs of the pair alongside a moving message celebrating her friend for being the âkindestâ and âalways selflessâ.
According to the NHS, a blood clot to the brain is when âone of the blood vessels that supply your brain with oxygen-rich blood becomes blockedâ causing the flow of blood to be interrupted.
Amyâs post, published on Sunday, May 3, read: âOn Friday, I got a call from my darling friend Bexâs mum, Anne, to tell me that Bex had a blood clot on her brain.
âI still canât quite find the words or make sense of it. How something like this can happen to someone so fit, so healthy, so kind⊠a truly good soul.
âBex was the kindest person, always putting others before herself. Even in the end, she was giving, an organ donor helping others right until the very end.
âShe had just given birth to her perfect baby boy the day before, completing her beautiful family with her little girl, three, and her true love, Sean.â
She continued: âI feel so lucky to have had her in my life.
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âMy sister said earlier how at Blackpool you were always more worried about me than your own dancing. That was you. Always selfless. Always thinking of others.
âBex, Iâll keep you close always. I promise to look out for your darling mum, dad, Sean, and your beautiful babies.â
Over the years, the Strictly star has gone through her own health battle as she received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2023 and went on to have chemotherapy and a mastectomy.
She disclosed in November that she required a further mastectomy and confirmed in an Instagram post that she had not been given a fresh cancer diagnosis and could âexpect a straightforward recoveryâ.
The âBreast Cancer Warriorâ and campaigner has continuously shared her journey through her TV appearances, social media platforms and strived to raise awareness of the life-changing disease.


