Strictly Come Dancing fans were thrilled on Saturday as Amy Dowden marked her return to the BBC show with a winning performance.
The 34-year-old professional dancer looked as if she had never left the stage – making a glorious return to the ballroom after her courageous battle with breast cancer.
A segment of the new episode of the hit dance show was dedicated to Amy’s own performance, where she was paired with several talented dancers.
Amy, who is now cancer-free, was a vision in a stunning fuchsia ball gown with feather embellishments, twirling as she showed off her incredible moves.
Die-hard fans have been eagerly awaiting the star’s return and didn’t hesitate to take to X, formerly Twitter, to share their excitement, with many describing the emotional side as “crying” and “happy tears”, writing:
Strictly Come Dancing fans couldn’t contain their emotions on Saturday as Amy Dowden marked her return with a triumphant dance performance.
The 34-year-old professional dancer looked as if she had never left the stage – making a glorious return to the ballroom after her courageous battle with breast cancer.
‘Am I literally crying tears of joy watching Amy dance like she turned 40 overnight? #strictly’;
‘Watching Amy’s back is all #strictly’;
‘Es genial ver a Amy Dowden #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly’;
‘This is my daughter! What an inspiration Amy! #strictly’;
‘Seeing Amy back on the dance floor was so special and I immediately said, “Why would I cry?” Amy Dowden we love you #barely’;
‘It’s great to see Amy where she is #Strictly’;
‘Great to see Amy Dowden back on the dancefloor looking so happy and healthy #Strictly’;
‘The mere sight of Amy was enough to bring tears to my eyes, I’m so happy she’s back. #strictly #scd’;
“It’s great to see Amy Dowden back on the dance floor on Strictly. She’s been through hell and her family and friends should be proud that she’s fought back and bounced back. Keep fighting. Amy, we love you #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing”;
It comes after Amy revealed cancer has “changed her forever”, noting she will never “take anything for granted” again for fear of “not making it to Christmas”.
The Strictly Come Dancing star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023, in what proved to be the most difficult year of her life.
Die-hard fans have been eagerly awaiting the star’s return and didn’t hesitate to take to X, formerly Twitter, to share their excitement, with many saying “crying” and “tears of joy” for the emotional part.
Amy was a vision in a bright fuchsia ballroom dress with feather embellishments, twirling as she showed off her incredible moves.
The Strictly star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023 and in what proved to be the most difficult year of her life, Amy underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment and almost died from sepsis.
And in a new interview, Amy has told how she is adopting a positive outlook on life after coming out the other side, admitting she is no longer “angry” at the disease.
Speaking to Prima magazine about how her experience with cancer has influenced her, Amy wryly explained: ‘Cancer has changed me forever. I will never take anything or anyone for granted and I now know my own worth. You may have walked all over me in the past but I now know my strength.’
The dancer found a lump in her breast the day before her honeymoon in May last year and was discharged this year after treatment.
But although she got through the worst, the Welsh beauty candidly admitted there were times when she didn’t think she could beat the illness because she was consumed by negative thoughts.
Recalling the dark times she went through, Amy explained: “I would lie awake for hours thinking, ‘Am I going to make it to Christmas? Am I going to dance again? ’ I don’t go to bed thinking now.
Amy spoke positively about how she has now overcome those thoughts and that her experience with cancer even helped her not to stress about her Crohn’s disease as it was “a recovery” from cancer.
Part of the new episode of the hit dance show was dedicated to Amy’s own performance, where she was paired with several talented dancers.
The star is now looking to the future and can’t wait to get back on the dance floor later this year.
As he came through the other side, he said, ‘I’ve come through the other side, I can’t be angry anymore. I can’t change what happened, I can only move on. I have the rest of my life ahead of me and I can’t spend any more time on it than it’s already taken.’
Amy wrote a book, Dancing in the Rain, about her experience, in which the blonde beauty recalls how the process of writing her book was so important during her healing process because it gave her a “purpose.”
She said: ‘When you’re suffering from a chronic illness or cancer, it’s a strange feeling to have the world go on without you. Normality is taken away from you and you lose your sense of purpose. I’m normally a very busy bee, but I was waking up every day and not doing what I loved, so the book gave me purpose in a very lonely and dark time.’
