Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has shared that she is to undergo chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with a second type of cancer.
Amy disclosed in May that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and subsequently had a mastectomy.
However, during an Instagram live interview with the cancer awareness group Coppafeel, the former Latin champion shared that after the operation, “more tumours” and “another type of cancer” were found.
While Amy shared that she felt “scared” ahead of her first round of her chemotherapy, she added: “The oncologist did say that with chemo I’ve got a really good chance of a cure.”
As a result of her chemotherapy treatment, Amy will not be able to compete on this year’s Strictly as planned, which she admitted initially made her not want the treatment.
“For me, straightaway, it was my dancing. Like, ‘you can take away my boob but you can’t take my dancing away from me’,” she explained.
“That’s what I get really upset about.”
Amy also praised the BBC for their support since her initial diagnosis, saying the broadcaster has “just been utterly incredible”.
She previously vowed that even if she required chemotherapy she would still “be present” in the Strictly studio “in some way”.
“Whether it’s on It Takes Two, or being up in Claudia’s area waiting for the scores, I’ll be there,” she insisted to The Mirror.
She also told Coppafeel: “The oncologist said to me movement is really, really good for people on chemo, it’s important. So that was encouraging.”
Amy has been part of the Strictly family since joining the show in 2017.
During her time on Strictly, Amy has performed with a number of celebrities, including McFly singer Tom Fletcher, actor Danny John-Jules, Invictus Games athlete JJ Chalmers and TV presenter Karim Zeroual, with whom she made it to the final in 2019.
Since rising to fame, Amy has also fronted a documentary for the BBC about Crohn’s disease, with which she was diagnosed as a child.