Strictly’s Amy Dowden in floods of tears as she watches cancer sufferer Freya Harris, eight, take home Pride of Britain Award amid star’s own heartbreaking battle with the illness

By William On Oct 12, 2023

Amy Dowden was moved to tears as the young woman was presented with an award at the Pride of Britain Awards after being diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer in 2021.

Strictly Come Dancing pro Amy, 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and underwent a mastectomy before doctors discovered she was also battling another form of cancer and needed further treatment.

Glittering star Amy returned to Strictly for one night only on Saturday to support her co-stars in her first TV appearance since shaving her head following chemotherapy.

Amy stepped out at the Pride of Britain Awards at Grosvenor House in London on Sunday and was seen sobbing as the ceremony was broadcast on ITV1 on Thursday this week.

Eight-year-old Freya Harris, winner of the Pride of Britain’s Child of Courage award, went through ‘hell and back’ after being diagnosed with a rare cancer, and Amy was seen wiping away tears as the student was honored at the ceremony.

Emotional: Amy Dowden was moved to tears as the youngster was presented with an award at the Pride of Britain Awards after being diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer in 2021.

Health issues: Eight-year-old Freya Harris, winner of the Pride of Britain Child of Courage award, has been through hell and back after being diagnosed with a rare cancer

The cancer warrior received the accolade after she came second at Crufts with her Australian Shepherd, Echo, despite being on chemotherapy for kidney cancer at the time.

When she was seven, Freya was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumour, a form of kidney cancer which affects around 80 children in the UK each year.

Freya’s family received the devastating news that she had cancer in December 2021 after first becoming ill two months earlier.

Soon after, the cancer was confirmed to be stage four and Freya underwent a kidney removal, lung surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy for a year.

Freya was later diagnosed with a rare side effect from chemotherapy that caused internal organ failure, which she thankfully managed to overcome.

“She’s been through hell and back and it’s been a definite battle,” Freya’s mother Gemma said during an appearance on Lorraine.

“We almost lost her at one point, and I had a suitor to prepare me for the worst.”

‘But what Freya does is pull through and not give up her fight, which is just the epitome of Freya.’

On show: Freya (pictured left), her dog Echo (centre) and mum Gemma (pictured right) were presented on Lorraine after winning the Pride of Britain

What is Wilms Tumor?

The disease is a form of kidney cancer that affects around 70 children in the UK each year.

It most often develops in young people under the age of five.

Wilms tumors, also known as nephroblastomas, begin to develop when the baby is still growing inside the mother.

However, it may not cause any symptoms until several years after the child is born.

They are most common in children under the age of five, but can occur in older children and adults on rare occasions.

Wilms tumors usually affect only one kidney (unilateral).

But in about seven out of every 100 children it can affect both (bilaterally).

Most Wilms tumors are quite large when they are found.

Very often they are much larger than the kidney itself.

Fortunately, most of them did not spread to other parts of the body.

The most common symptom is swelling in the abdomen, which is usually painless.

Occasionally, the tumor may bleed slightly and this can cause irritation in the kidney area, which can be painful.

Children with this condition may have blood in their urine or their blood pressure may be elevated.

The child may also have a fever, upset stomach, weight loss, or lack of appetite.

During the healing process, Echo was Freya’s reason to come home. “She was my goal if I was in the hospital, I had to go home to see her,” Freya said.

Freya’s love of dogs began at an early age, when she was helping her mum who worked as a dog walker, and the two would always sit down to watch Crufts together.

Gemma and Freya’s father decided to buy Echo the puppy to encourage his daughter to go for walks after they had to spend weeks in hospital.

The inseparable duo inspired thousands when they took to the world’s most famous dog stage at the NEC Birmingham.

Describing her experience as “amazing”, Freya won second place at Cruft. She added: ‘I did it for the cancer warriors.’

This week, Strictly star Amy expressed her gratitude to Britain’s unsung heroes as she shared a series of snaps from the Pride of Britain Awards.

She took to her Instagram on Tuesday to post a number of photos from the great event and expressed what an “honour” and “privilege” she was to attend.

Amy exuded confidence in a floor-length pink dress with a huge satin bow on the shoulder, representing the pink ribbon that symbolizes the fight against breast cancer, as October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Amy shared snaps of her trip to the awards with her twin sister Becky and fellow Strictly Pro Diane Buswell.

The glamorous trio posed with Giovanna Fletcher on the red carpet for a sizzling selfie.

Amy also caught up with It Takes Two host Janet Manrara, who matched her in another hot pink dress.

In another video, she is shown with Janetta’s husband Aljaž Škorjanec halfway through taking a selfie.

She also posed for photos alongside her fellow Strictly co-stars Carlos Guo and Vito Coppola.

Tagging the beautiful pictures, Amy detailed her experience at the awards and revealed her personal connection to one winner.

Best friend: Freya’s parents bought an Echo to encourage the youngster to get outside and walk after spending weeks in hospital

She wrote: “On Sunday night I had the honor of attending @prideofbritain where we celebrate extraordinary people who go above and beyond to help others.

“It was a privilege to stand with my Strictly Come Dancing family and present the award to John Burkhill, an extraordinary man who has raised such a huge amount of money for @macmillancancer – a charity that has played a significant part in my journey recently.’

She added: “It was a humbling experience and I was really grateful to be a part of it and to be able to show my gratitude.”

Amy recently shaved off her hair after losing much of her locks during grueling chemotherapy.

Honour: Amy expressed her gratitude to Britain’s unsung heroes as she shared a series of snaps from this week’s Pride of Britain Awards

Dream team: The professional dancer attended an inspirational ceremony on Sunday night, reuniting with her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars

Humble: She took to her Instagram on Tuesday to share a number of photos from the great event and expressed what an ‘honour’ and ‘privilege’ it was to attend (pictured with Giovanna Fletcher)

Stunning: Amy exuded confidence in a floor-length pink dress with a huge satin bow on the shoulder, representing the pink ribbon to symbolize the fight against breast cancer, as October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month

She’s back! Amy’s glamorous outing comes after she returned to Strictly on Saturday night to support her co-stars in her first TV appearance since shaving her head

She previously revealed that she would cry herself to sleep at night as she watched her hair fall onto her pillow.

Last month, she shared a heartbreaking video of herself being shaved by loved ones.

The star broke down in tears before embracing the brave step she took while looking at herself in the mirror.

Amy said that although it was difficult, it was empowering to take control and she is now looking forward to her hair growing back and not hurting from the loss.

Brave: Amy recently shared a heartbreaking video of herself getting her hair shaved off by loved ones and said that while it was hard, it was empowering to take control