Amy Dowden is flooded with support from her Strictly co-stars after sharing the brave moment she shaved her head amid her breast cancer battle: ‘We can’t wait to have you back on the dance floor’
Amy Dowden has been flooded with support from her Strictly co-stars and fans after posting an emotional video of the moment she shaved her head during her battle with breast cancer.
The 33-year-old dancer received a slew of touching messages from her followers and celebrity friends after posting the emotional clip after losing much of her hair to chemotherapy.
Among those showing their support for Amy was her long-time friend Dianne Buswell, who wrote: ‘Amy, you are still everything you were before, just with extra courage, strength and determination. One thing about you is that you don’t let anything happen. about !
‘You always said to me: I’m not Amy with Crohns, I’m Amy the dancer. You are still Amy the dancer and always will be. I can’t wait to have you back on the dance floor as we chat and make endless cups of tea!
“We all love you so much and I’m such a proud friend of you taking control, I love you Amy xxx.”
Proud: Amy Dowden has been flooded with support from her Strictly co-stars and fans after posting an emotional video of the moment she shaved her head
Inspiration: The dancer received a slew of touching messages from her followers and famous friends after losing much of her hair to chemotherapy
Giovanna Fletcher, whose husband Tom competed with Amy on Strictly in 2021, added: ‘You!!! YOU!!!!!! You are beautiful to your core and with every fiber of your being. I am in awe of you, my friend, and will remain so for the rest of time. Love you!! Xxxxxxxx.”
Saffron Barker wrote: ‘Wow you are so brave and beautiful inside and out ❤️ lots of love to you xxxx.’
Alex Jones wrote: ‘I’m in complete awe of you! You are incredible and so beautiful! You can pull this off and make it look fantastic. Cariad mawr xxxx.’
Oti Mabuse wrote: ‘My friend, you are an absolute hero, so strong and STILL GORGEOUS!
“I am totally rocking that short haircut like GI AMY, I love you so much and am sending you prayers from the bottom of my heart and even more elated that you are surrounded by family and friends…. Love you.’
Many Strictly Come Dancing fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to praise Amy’s bravery and ‘beat cancer’.
One wrote: ‘You will always be beautiful, your hair doesn’t define you. Completely understand your anger. Stay strong Amy, lots of love xx’
Another said: ‘You don’t need hair to be beautiful, Amy. Good luck with your treatment x’
Emotional: A slew of Amy’s close friends from Strictly flooded her post with touching comments, promising she would overcome her battle with the disease
Support: Many Strictly Come Dancing fans also took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to praise Amy’s bravery and ‘beat cancer’
Control: Amy explained how she ‘took control’ after feeling ‘so much has been taken from me’ since being diagnosed with breast cancer in May
‘You’re still beautiful Amy, stay strong young lady x’
‘Hair comes and goes, but what’s important is that she took a brave step today… Well done Amy Dowden, stay strong and kick cancer in the ass…’
“#AmyDowden, you may not have hair now, but you’re still a beautiful looking woman with a super personality. Stay strong x’
“Amy Dowden sharing the video on Instagram of her shaving her head has broken me. What an incredible thing to share.”
Caerphilly-born Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer cancer earlier in May and started chemotherapy after doctors discovered another type of cancer in her body, meaning she couldn’t be paired with a celebrity for the new series.
The professional dancer called it “the hardest step yet” as she posted a heartbreaking video of herself surrounded by loved ones as her hair was cut.
Amy explained how she ‘took control’ after feeling ‘so much was taken from me’ since being diagnosed with breast cancer in May.
The dancer, who was forced to sit out the 2023 series of Strictly, said she wanted to reclaim her identity after missing out on much of her life as a dancer.
“This too shall pass,” she wrote in the caption. ‘Taking Control – The hardest step yet. I did my best to save it. I know it’s just her, but so much has been taken from me in the past few months that I don’t feel like I’m Amy anymore.’
‘I miss every possible aspect of dancing. I just wanted to maintain my identity with my hair and I tried to tell myself that it wouldn’t work. But I would be afraid of the pain of waking up to the shredding every day.”
She continued, “Until now, I have not been able to take control of this journey, but as you can see from some of my loved ones, I have taken courage and CONTROL.”
Looking ahead: The dancer, who was forced to sit out the 2023 series of Strictly, said she wanted to reclaim her identity after missing much of her life as a dancer (pictured in January 2023 during the Strictly live tour)
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‘It will take some time to get used to it and learn to love and embrace it, but I am focusing now – not on the hair I am losing, but on the hair I am going to get back and the happy dancing, tea lover who talking way too fast while rolling, every rrrrr still in there, with or without her!’
She added that she was also halfway through her chemotherapy treatment, explaining: ‘Since I took control, I feel like I can now see the finish line. This was an obstacle for me that I couldn’t even think or talk about. I did it and I’m also over half of the chemotherapy!’
‘I feel powerful and positive! To everyone on their own journey, whatever that may be, I send love, strength, power and courage.
‘I have found the courage to take this step and I am proud of it.’
‘(There are) some fun before and after videos/reels coming up, but I wanted to share the truth and hopefully help others, and bring normalcy to a beautiful bald head.’
With the help of family and friends, who all took turns cutting a lock of Amy’s hair, the dancer tearfully confronted her new look with a smile at the end of the emotional video.