Who is Amy Dowden’s husband Ben Jones? Get to know the Strictly Come Dancing professional’s partner

Amy Dowden is supported by her husband Ben Jones after revealing she has breast cancer at the age of 32.

The couple married in July 2022 and waited a year to honeymoon, but just a day before flying to the Maldives, the Strictly Come Dancing star found a lump on her breast.

She announced her breast cancer diagnosis on Instagram in May, writing: “Hello everyone, I have news that is not easy to share. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, but I’m determined to get back on the dance floor before you know it. Welsh loves Amy.”

The dancer has been battling Crohn’s disease since childhood and said she’s had “quite a lot” of health issues in her life.

While leaning on her loving husband, we take a look at everything you need to know about Ben Jones.

What is Ben Dowden’s job?

Like Amy, Ben works as a professional dancer, but he chooses to stay out of the limelight, so it’s unlikely he’ll bid to join the Strictly Come Dancing lineup.

Ben started his dancing career at the age of 14 after accompanying his sister to their local dance classes and has become one of the best Latin American dancers in the world.

Among the many titles he won are British National Closed Finalist, World Open Semi-Finalist, British National Champion in 2016, Vice Professional Latin UK Champion.

Ben and Amy run a dance academy in the West Midlands, Art in Motion, where they train the next generation of young dancers.

When did Amy Dowden meet Ben Jones?

Amy and Ben first met in 2011 through their work as dancers, but kept their romance a secret for six years because they feared the reactions of their dance teachers.

They made their romance public shortly before Ben popped the question in 2017 at a New Year’s Eve party surrounded by their friends and loved ones.

While Ben has no social media presence, Amy sometimes shares cute snaps of the couple together on her Instagram page.

When did Amy Dowden marry Ben Jones?

Amy finally tied the knot with Ben in July 2022 after two delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The couple exchanged vows in front of their family and friends in a romantic ceremony at a five-star wedding venue on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales.

Speaking of her special day, Amy told Hello! magazine: ‘It was a beautiful location. I always knew I wanted to get married in Wales.’

Amy was surrounded by those close to her, including Dianne Buswell, who served as a bridesmaid.

The pair were initially set to marry two years ago on July 25, 2020 – before the wedding was postponed due to Covid.

How did Ben Jones support Amy Dowden in her fight against cancer?

Amy first discovered a lump in her breast the day before her honeymoon in April 2023, but chose not to tell Ben right away.

She said Hello! magazine that she felt a lump in her breast while showering, but decided to “keep an eye on it” for a few weeks because she wasn’t sure if it would go away on its own.

She confessed, “I started checking it less because it was worrying me and I didn’t want to flare up my Crohn’s. Then, once we got home, I went one [dance] show with Ben and I was putting on some shimmer and the lump felt so much bigger. I just knew I had to see a doctor.”

After being referred to hospital by her GP, she recalls, “Everything went so fast within that day. I went alone and didn’t tell anyone, but when I got there the nurse said to me, ‘You need someone here’ and then Ben found out.’

Speaking about how Ben has supported her throughout the journey, she revealed, “Ben only hears the positive, and then he only talks about the bright side of things.”

When Was Amy Dowden Diagnosed With Cancer?

Amy revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in May 2023, tellingly Hello! magazine“You just never think it’s going to happen to you.” I didn’t think it was possible to get breast cancer at my age. My mother had breast cancer, but she got it later in life, around 50.’

Amy said it was participating in the CoppaTrek! walk last June in support of the CoppaFeel charity! leading her to discover her own cancer.

Realizing that she “doesn’t control her breasts,” she then made a conscious effort to control herself by playing CoppaFeel! has “potentially saved her life.”

“I don’t know how long this lump could have been there before I would have noticed it and done something about it,” she added.

Amy said she found a lump in her right breast in April, a day before she and her husband flew to the Maldives for a belated honeymoon following their wedding last July.

The dancer said she was “in shock” and decided to keep an eye on the lump before going to the doctor when the lump grew upon returning home.

She was immediately sent for an emergency referral, where she was told the lump looked ‘suspicious’ and to ‘prepare for the worst’.

After a biopsy, Amy was told she had grade three breast cancer, and said her first question was when she could get back on the dance floor.

Grade three cancer is when the cells look very different from normal breast cells and tend to spread more quickly. The number describes what a cancer cell looks like under a microscope.

It is different from a cancer stage, which describes the size of the cancer and how far it has spread. Amy has yet to find out what stage of cancer she is at.

Amy said her cancer was discovered “early” and she is now waiting for more information before receiving a full treatment plan, including surgery.

She’s awaiting an MRI scan and biopsy after medics found a second lump in her right breast, and after that step she’ll get a full prognosis.