Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden was dealt devastating health news

Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden was left in tears (Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden bravely spoke out about the emotional impact of her double breast cancer diagnosis, revealing how it left her feeling “broken” and facing tough questions about her future. Amy, 35, first discovered a lump in her breast in early 2023, just before jetting off to the Maldives for her honeymoon with fellow pro Ben Jones. Medical tests confirmed that Amy was battling breast cancer. Further examinations revealed the tumour was larger than initially believed, and additional growths were found.

After undergoing surgery, she was hit with the shocking revelation that she had not one, but two types of breast cancer – both ductal and lobular – making her treatment far more complicated than anyone had anticipated.

This diagnosis led to Amy having a mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy, which resulted in medically induced menopause. Amid the chaos of treatment and recovery, she also had to grapple with the potential impact on her fertility.

Amy and Tom Skinner were the first eliminated couple this series (Image: BBC)

Reflecting on this challenging time, Amy shared with The Dr Hilary Show podcast: “You’re in the world when you just got married, you know, you were asked about your fertility plans. I would love the honour of being a mum, so that was a real, you know….

“The devastating news of a cancer diagnosis… Suddenly, you’re thinking, ‘What do you mean fertility? What do you mean it’s going to affect that?’ That broke my heart. I cried so much and couldn’t get my head around it,” she added.

“I went for my MRI, and the lump was much bigger than they realized, along with some other tumours. Then the decision was made for a mastectomy.

“After the surgery, they said I had two types of breast cancer. They knew I had ductal cancer before, but now I had both. When the surgeon sent my breast tissue to pathology, the surgeon said he wasn’t expecting this-it was also lobular.”

Prior to beginning chemotherapy, Amy took the challenging yet optimistic step of freezing her eggs.

“I managed to get five embryos, so I have fertility options for the future. I’m 35 now. At diagnosis, obviously, I would have loved to already be a mum, hopefully one day.”

Amy outlined that medics will only contemplate halting her hormone therapy after a specified timeframe following treatment.

“At the moment, it’s not about how many years since cancer-it’s how many years since finishing treatment. My consultant has agreed to revisit the conversation with me in January 2027. It feels reassuring that I still have my embryos.”

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