Amy Dowden has emotionally thanked her Strictly co-stars as she returned to the set of the popular BBC show amid her battle with cancer.
Earlier this year the dancer, who has been a Strictly pro since 2017 and danced with celebrities including musician Tom Fletcher, comedian Brian Conley and presenter Karim Zeroual, revealed the news she had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
In a social media post on Sunday night, the star said she felt “so lucky” to be surrounded by “so much support” from friends, family and stars of the show.
She said doing things like visiting her co-stars on set was “what keeps me going”, adding that she was “dreaming” of returning to the floor again in the near future.
Dowden wrote: “There’s no text book or right/wrong way to deal with your cancer journey. Everyone deals with it rightly their way. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by so much support which I don’t take for granted and days like here is what keeps me going.
“I’m dreaming every night of dancing on that floor again but right now I’m my fellow pro’s proudest and biggest cheerleader.”
She also praised the standard of the celebrities this year and the professional dancers’ opening number.
Dowden is not taking part in Strictly this year due to her illness.
She did appear in a title sequence alongside other pros in last weekend’s opening show.
She was also referenced in the launch show as presenter Tess Daly called her “our Welsh Dragon”.
Co-host Claudia Winkleman added: “Amy, from your entire Strictly family we are sending all our love and we can’t wait to have you back on the dancefloor.”
Last week, the star revealed she had started her fifth round of chemotherapy after doctors found tumours in other parts of the 33-year-old Welsh dancer’s body. She previously underwent a single mastectomy.
The BBC star took to Instagram on Thursday to share a hospital selfie of her connected to an IV as she held up a high five, reflecting the chemo round she was about to start.â
The dancing pro captioned the shot: “Chemo 5 [tick emoji]”.
Earlier in the week, she also showed off her newly-shaved head.
On Instagram, the star was seen dancing with some of her loved ones with a baseball cap on her head, before removing it and putting it over the camera.
After a moment, she revealed her hair-free head while her family danced in the background.
Dowden revealed in the post that fellow Strictly pro Dianne Buswell had inspired the video.
In the caption, Dowden wrote: “When Dianne Buswell sends you reel ideas!”
“Fair play dad [Richard Dowden] you steal the show here with your performance and energy #showman! This brought so much fun to the day! As dancing always does,” she added.
A number of her famous friends and Strictly dancers praised the clip – and the dancing of her father.
Buswell wrote: “Yessssssss look at you all. Richard Dowden, it’s a 10 from me.”
Former Family Fortunes host Les Dennis has become the first celebrity to depart the Strictly Come Dancing floor this year.
After the first public vote on the 21st series of the BBC One show, the 69-year-old found himself up against radio presenter Nikita Kanda in Sunday’s dance-off.
