Amy Dowden shares health update after heartbreaking Strictly exit
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden was left “devastated” after pulling out of this year's competition when she sustained a stress fracture on her shin.
But the 34-year-old says she is now back on her feet and working with her physiotherapists ahead of a return to the ballroom. It comes as Amy is set to appear on the Strictly arena tour before her own Reborn tour with fellow professional Carlos Gu.
Just over eight weeks ago though Amy was forced to withdraw from Strictly after suffering an "insufficiency stress fracture" on her shin. She was left “heartbroken” after believing she could have reached the final with JLS singer JB Gill.
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Amy had returned to the series after missing the 2023 competition following her cancer diagnosis. She says it was the thought of dancing on Strictly that helped her through the illness.
Speaking to The Guardian, she said: “I was devastated and I really struggled because Strictly was my aim since the words: ‘Amy, you’ve got cancer.’ That was the goal, to get back to the dancefloor - and that’s all that was in my mind for 20 months.”
Amy says she was “heartbroken, absolutely gutted” to withdraw from the competition but praised professional dancer Lauren Oakley for stepping in. JB and Lauren came runners-up in the competition behind Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell.
Having to withdraw from the show was particularly frustrating for Amy, who says she doubted whether she would even dance again while undergoing cancer treatment last year. She admits she would have liked to carry on, but the Strictly physios “want to protect” the dancers.
The Welsh star however hopes she will be able to compete in the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing later this year. She hopes it will help her feel “truly like Amy again”. Although she is happy she was able to make a return, confessing that dance is her “happy place”.
The star is however keen to get back for the Strictly arena tour. She added: “I’m feeling so much stronger. I’m at the gym, I’m working with my physio team, I’m having dance lessons.
“It was just very unlucky - could have happened to anyone. But typically, if something is going to go wrong, it happens to me.”
Ahead of the Strictly final last month, JB, 38, paid tribute to Amy. He said: "She's been a huge support from day one, but even when she was not working with me anymore, she’s been massively in our corner wanting us to do well, sending messages and checking how things are going, asking how our week is."
