Strictly’s Amy Dowden reveals sick messages from trolls during cancer battle as she prepares for return to show
AMY Dowden has spoken out about the cruel trolling she endured during her cancer treatment.
The Strictly dancer’s world fell apart after she discovered a lump in her breast the night before jetting away on her honeymoon with husband Ben Jones last year.
Amy took more than a year to make a full recovery after doctors told her she had aggressive stage three breast cancer.
It meant she was unable to participate in last year’s series of Strictly as a result of being diagnosed with the disease aged just 32.
During that time, she underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment, and nearly died from sepsis.
Now, the star is demanding action to clamp down on online trolls after she was accused of being a narcissist and attention-seeker.
Speaking in her upcoming BBC documentary in clips obtained by The Mirror, Amy confessed: “Sometimes I was up at 2am and I couldn’t sleep because the steroids were keeping me up.
“I was so low and then receiving those messages was heartbreaking. I just feel like it’s not spoken about.”
Amy is calling for criminal convictions for the most extreme trolls, sharing that she now understands how online bullying can drive teenagers to take their own lives.
She added: “When someone is bullying someone online and they take their own life, it’s kind of like manslaughter. Is there going to be punishment to stop people doing it? It’s awful.
“They said I was a narcissist and an attention seeker. It was: “It’s not even stage 4,”
“They said I should hide away and get on with it on my own and asked why I felt the need to dance around in my garden when I shaved my head.”
Amy’s journey over the past 15 months has been captured in an eye-opening documentary, which she hopes will serve as a source of inspiration for others facing similar challenges.
Speaking about deciding to let the cameras into her life and follow her journey, Amy said: “A year ago I was recently married and about to go on honeymoon, it was an exciting new chapter in my life, but finding a lump on my breast changed my life…
“I never thought at my age I would get cancer and, despite having family members and friends who were cancer survivors, had no idea just what the impact on my life would be.
“I’ve learnt so much about myself and what a cancer diagnosis means on this journey.
“I hope others find hope and strength from this film, and that it encourages everyone to check themselves, no matter what age you are.”
Back in May, Amy was thrilled to tell her fans that she was in remission and the race was on to be ready for Strictly.
She is now just days away from making her grand return to the ballroom for the series’ 20th anniversary special.
She said: “I’ve got a new body on that dance floor now. I’ve lost my speed, my stamina, my flexibility. My confidence has been knocked a lot, and I doubt myself, even now.
“I’ve had a mastectomy, fertility treatment, chemotherapy, sepsis, blood clots, a broken foot — but finally it’s time for me to be able to get back on that dance floor.
“Dancing is part of who I am. It’s in my blood, and I’m grateful to have the chance to dance again.”
Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me airs Monday at 8pm on BBC One.
Strictly Amy's cancer 'nightmare'
The Sun's Jamie Downham takes a look at the beloved Strictly star's ups and downs...
AS Strictly Come Dancing viewers know, you’ll struggle to catch Amy Dowden without a huge smile on her face.
But recently the Welsh star – one the best-rated Ballroom and Latin American professional dancers the UK has ever produced – has suffered a string of “nightmare” blows to her health.
She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May last year and underwent a full mastectomy, before having chemotherapy towards the end of 2023.
However, she later reported docs had found a clot on her lung, telling fans sadly: “Unfortunately I’ve had another nightmare this week.”
Nonetheless, brave Amy, seen here dancing with James Bye, made an epic return to Strictly the following month with an appearance that left many viewers in floods tears.
As 2024 dawned, she admitted: “I feel I was robbed of the year I had planned and reflecting for me makes me upset and angry.”
However, she was soon smiling again. Amy, her hair starting to grow back after her cancer treatment, was seen messing around with her co-stars Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola on the Strictly tour earlier this month.
And despite another spell in hospital in February, she still mustered a cheeriness many would struggle for, telling fans: “The sun is shining – and I certainly can’t wait for Spring.”
And we certainly can’t wait to see you dancing again, Amy…