BBC Strictly Come Dancing confirms Amy Dowden's future on show following cancer battle
Dowden will be returning to the show this year
BBC/Instagram
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden will be returning to the BBC show following her cancer battle.
The 33-year-old was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023, and her treatment meant she couldn't take part in last year's Strictly.
However, Dowden did make special appearances on the show, which delighted both fans and her co-stars. She also kept viewers up to date with how her treatment was going, frequently taking to social media to share candid posts about her experience.
Taking to social media on Monday, Dowden shared thee happy update, writing: "I'm so happy and grateful to be back on @bbcstrictly.
"MY HEART IS SO HAPPY. The best team on and off the dance floor. I can’t wait to be back doing what I love most in the world, dancing!
"Feel blessed and more excited than EVER. Bring it on! Thank you @bbcstrictly for your support always. Eeeeeekkk #amysback #strictlycomedancing #letsdothis #excited #cantwait #myheartissohappy."
In February, a beaming Dowden announced her latest tests showed "no evidence of disease," although she wouldn't be able to get the all-clear for five years.
She posted a heartwarming snap on her Instagram page of her smiling broadly and captioned the post: "NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE! Words I dreamed of! My biggest accomplishment yet!
"I won’t be getting the all clear for 5 years especially with a hormone fed cancer. But it was all worth it. Words I never thought I’d hear at one point.
"So grateful for all the care I received and continue to have.
"To my husband, family and friends who supported me unconditionally and to you guys! Thank you!"
It wasn't clear whether or not Dowden would be returning to Strictly this year, but the show's official line-up of professional dancers includes the Welsh choreographer.
In other news, the list also confirmed 33-year-old Giovanni Pernice would not be returning to the show following months of speculation about his future with Strictly.
The Italian dancer has been at the centre of a media storm for months following claims made against him by last year's Strictly partner Amanda Abbington, as well as other famous faces he had been paired with in the past.
The BBC has now confirmed Pernice will not be returning for this year's series.
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Dowden joined Strictly in 2017
BBC
It comes after Pernice's last partner on the BBC show, Amanda Abbington, made claims about the choreographer being "nasty" and "militant" after she pulled out of the series early.
Pernice denied accusations made but Abbington's claims were backed by other previous partners Pernice had starred on the show with.