has made a triumphant return to following a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment and hospital care for sepsis. The 34-year-old Welsh ballroom dancer, who first joined the cast of in 2017, was too ill to compete in last year’s series as she . Dowden found a lump in her breast in May 2023 – the day before she was due to leave for her honeymoon in the Maldives .
On Saturday (21 September), the professional dancer moved fans to tears as she danced a classic waltz with her pop star partner JB Gill following her recovery from cancer treatment. Dowden and the singer performed the moving choreography to the emotional ballad “When I Need You” by Leo Sayer and received a standing ovation from the studio audience. judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke scored the performance 31 points out of 40.
Ahead of her comeback, the professional dancer told : “I’m absolutely loving it, JB’s been the perfect comeback for me.” “I’m just back in my happy place doing what I love most.” She added of the live shows: “I think it’s going to be just really lovely because it’s going to be beautiful for my family because they struggled just as much as I did having to watch me go through it.
” Dowden admitted: “Last year’s Strictly was a tough watch for them because it was a reminder of exactly what we were going through. “It’s going to be one big celebration, this whole series for me.” Meanwhile, Dowden’s partner Gill said .