Amy Dowden delights Strictly Come Dancing fans in surprise appearance amid breast cancer treatment
The professional dancer was forced to pull out of the competition after she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year
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Your support makes all the difference.Amy Dowden made a surprise appearance on Saturdayās (7 October) episode of Strictly Come Dancing as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.
The professional dancer, 33, who joined the cast of Strictly in 2017, was forced to pull out of the competition earlier this year after she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy.
While the professional dancer previously told fans she would not be appearing in the new series, she surprised Strictly viewers as she arrived in a sparkly gown and read out the terms and conditions for the public voting at the beginning Saturdayās episode.
Announcing Dowden to the cameras, host Claudia Winkleman said: āWeāre so excited that sheās well enough to be here,ā before Dowden emerged from behind a curtain.
As Dowden read out the terms and conditions, an emotional Strictly 2023 cast clapped and cheered her on.
Winkleman went on to add that the cast had been missing their Strictly colleague in her absence from the show, before asking Dowden about the status of her treatment.
āIām over halfway through treatment and chemo,ā an excited Dowden replied. āI canāt wait to be back with you all.ā
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The Strictly cast continued loudly cheering, with the professional dancers ā many of whom have worked with Dowden for years ā clearly overjoyed to have her back in the studio.
On social media, Strictly viewers have been praising Dowden following her unexpected cameo on the show.
āThe winner of this yearās Strictly is Amy Dowden. Brave, inspirational and a beacon of loveliness. Youāve got this Amy,ā wrote one fan, as another added: āHow beautiful a moment was that.ā
āOne big smile is enough to give a great big f*** you to cancer! Lovely to see Amy tonight,ā one fan wrote.
Last month, Dowden shared āthe hardest stepā of her cancer journey with fans as she shaved her head.
On 21 September, Dowden told her fans she had made the decision to ātake controlā and shave her head.
In a montage shared on Instagram, Dowden was shown dabbing at her eyes while her āloved onesā cut off chunks of her hair down to a short, cropped style.
The remaining hair was then shaved off, with the Strictly star growing more emotional and pausing to cover her face with her hands. However, she was in the end shown admiring the end results in the mirror.
āThis too shall pass,ā Dowden wrote, before describing the haircut as āthe hardest step so farā.
āI tried my best to save it. I know itās only hair but these past few months Iāve had what feels like so much taken away from me that has made me not feel like Amy. Iām missing every possible aspect of dancing. I just wanted to keep my identity with my hair and I tried telling myself it wouldnāt go. But I would dread the pain of waking up to the shredding everyday.ā
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