Amy Dowden has opened up about the impact her breast cancer diagnosis has had on her family and friends. Last year, the Strictly Come Dancing professional was left rocked by the news she had been diagnosed with breast cancer as she planned to head out for her honeymoon. She has since undergone a mastectomy and chemotherapy and has shared her journey as part of her new documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which airs on Monday on BBC One.
Speaking about how it has affected her entire family, she told The Mirror : "It's affected them massively, like I could see when I had my sepsis , the pain in my parents eyes every day. It's just been so tough. "And my dad had to watch his wife go through it, both with my mum and me, and I think it has had a great impact on him.
And it's just not fair, is it? I think I really noticed that watching this film back." She added: "When I'm living in it, I'm in survival mode, getting through treatment to treatment. For them, they remain so positive to me but obviously was breaking down behind closed doors.
We're so lucky that me and my friends and family are all one big close unit, and we make sure we talk openly, be there for each other." Amy's twin sister finds it particularly hard, with the dancer admitting her sister gets very upset every time they discuss it. "She still struggles.
If I talk about it, she gets very upset. She was really positive and strong in front of me. She's really struggled and found it hard but equally, like all my family, they were there with me every step of the way," she shared.
In the documentary, there is one poignant moment where Amy hangs out with her friend - and fellow Strictly pro - Dianne Buswell and the pair have an open and honest conversation about body confidence following Amy's mastectomy. Speaking about her emotional moment with Dianne, she shared: "Diane and I have been really close friends since I joined Strictly; she was one of my bridesmaids. Diane has spoken openly about body confidence issues in the past herself.
"We understand each other - being in the public eye, being a dancer and wanting the perfect body. I don't want the perfect body any more. I'm so proud of what it's got through.
But I guess Diane understood this. She's a dancer, she knows the costumes. It was so honest and so spontaneous at the time.
It was really reassuring." *Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me will air on BBC One on Monday August 26th at 8pm. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
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