Amy Dowden, the Strictly Come Dancing favourite, was a guest on Wednesday’s BBC Breakfast where she and fellow Strictly professional Carlos Gu chatted with hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay about their forthcoming tour. However, the discussion inevitably shifted towards the much-loved BBC One dance programme.
This season witnessed Amy paired with JLS sensation JB Gill, but an injury compelled her to bow out of the contest, with Lauren Oakley taking over as JB’s partner.
To the delight of viewers, Amy returned for the group dance during Saturday night’s grand finale. Sally initiated the interview by inquiring: “First of all, Amy, how are you?”
Graciously responding, Amy said: “I’m doing really well, thank you, yeah, really good. To dance in the final was just lush. Especially considering the two years that I’ve had, absolutely!
“It was certainly bittersweet. I would have loved to have been there dancing with JB and Lauren, but I’m so proud of them both. They achieved such incredible dances on the weekend.”
Regarding Amy’s withdrawal from the contest due to her injury, Sally quickly quizzed whether Amy believed she could recuperate in time for the final, reports the Express.
Determinedly, Amy answered: “That was my aim and I’m pretty determined! So yeah, that was the goal.”
Next year, Amy and Carlos will set sail across the UK with their tour, Reborn. Delving further into their upcoming plans, the BBC presenter asked: “Do you feel like this (tour) is a bit like, it’s turning a page?”
Amy shared: “Yeah, for me, for sure. I hope to give a message as well, always stay true to yourself. But, that better times can come. For me it’s been quite a challenging few years.
“I want to show the challenge through the show, there’s going to be ups and downs, but I hope to give people confidence and uplift them. The truth behind the struggles but also, you can get through them and don’t get bitter get better.”
Amy disclosed that the tour, kicking off in March, is providing her with something to anticipate and strive for. During their conversation, she admitted that it’s only recently she’s started to regain her energy.
She went on to say: “During chemo, you feel so ill, so rotten and actually, only in the last few weeks I’ve felt like I’ve really got my energy back now. Whereas throughout the year last year, I was constantly feeling stronger and better, only in the last few weeks have I realised, yeah, actually I feel like back to the old Amy.”
“Now I can push this on stage with my best friend Carlos, who was there throughout all of my cancer diagnosis,” she added.
In May 2023, Amy was diagnosed with grade three cancer and has since undergone chemotherapy and a mastectomy. In February this year, Amy announced that tests showed she had “no evidence of disease”.