Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has celebrated reaching the end of her treatment for breast cancer.
The dancer revealed on Thursday that she had rung the “chemo bell” after undergoing her final chemotherapy session.
Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in May after finding a lump days before her honeymoon.
She then underwent a mastectomy and had hoped this would be the only treatment needed. However, doctors found “more tumours” and “another type of cancer”, which was treated with chemotherapy.
Marking the milestone in her recovery, Amy posted a photo of herself on Instagram, posing other cancer patients who were also celebrating the end of their treatment.
She wrote: “Today all three of us ring that chemo bell! 32, 35 and 26 when all diagnosed with breast cancer so please this is a note from us three to check your chest!
“Cancer doesn’t discriminate! Our wish to you all is the remember to monthly check!”
Ahead of her final chemo session, Amy said she had been “crying all morning” at the thought of the treatment being over.
Sharing a photo of herself with husband Ben, she wrote: “It’s chemo number 8! The last one! We are finally here. I’ve cried all morning!
“Right an afternoon of chemo and then I’m so lucky and grateful to be able to ring that bell! Will never take it for granted! Thank you to the incredible Sheldon Unit! You are all amazing.”
Last month, Amy returned to the Strictly ballroom for the first time since her diagnosis, where she made the “liberating” choice not to wear a wig, after shaving her head due to the hair loss caused by chemo.
“There are no words to describe the pure joy and happiness I felt last night being back with my Strictly family,” she said in a social media post.
“It is their love and support that gave me the courage to decide [at the] last minute to step out and brave the bald.”
Alongside a screenshot of a comment saying she had “shown every little girl going through chemo that bald is beautiful”, Amy continued: “It’s messages like the above which is why I use my platform to raise awareness and hopefully give others confidence.
“Not saying it was easy and I still miss my long hair dearly but gosh did it feel liberating and it’s breast cancer awareness month which gave me that extra push to do it.”
Amy first joined Strictly’s team of professional dancers in 2017.
Since then, she has been partnered with contestants including actor Danny John-Jules, EastEnders stars Brian Conley and James Bye, Invictus Games athlete JJ Chalmers, McFly singer Tom Fletcher and presenter Karim Zeroual, with whom she reached the Strictly final back in 2019.