Amy Dowden has opened up about living with Crohn’s, and the ‘stigma’ surrounding the condition. The Strictly Come Dancing star, 34, was diagnosed with the chronic condition as a child. Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease, that causes symptoms including abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, fatigue, and weight loss.
Amy was also diagnosed with breast cancer in May last year, and thankfully got the all clear in February. During her chemotherapy treatment, the pro dancer kept fans updated on her health , and recently told more of her story – including fertility struggles, sepsis, and losing her hair – in BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me. However, Amy has now shared that ‘no one ever asks me about my Crohn’s’, despite the fact she’ll have the condition forever.
She told Prima : ‘There’s a stigma – people don’t want to talk about poo and guts. ‘I suffered with it for eight years before I even got a diagnosis, and I’ve always wanted to go into more depth to raise awareness. I was able to do that in my book.
’ She added: ‘My cancer experience has helped me not to stress about my Crohn’s, as that had to take a backseat. Now, I think: “If it took a backseat then, it can take a backseat for ever.”‘ Talking about her book, she added: ‘When you suffer from a chronic illness or cancer, there’s a weird sense that the world is spinning without you.
Your normality is taken away and you lose a sense of purpose. ‘I’m.