Amy Dowden says she feels there is ‘life after cancer’ following Strictly return

The Welsh professional dancer, 34, missed out on competing with a partner in the BBC dance competition last year due to undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

She returned to the show last month as the dance partner to JLS star JB Gill and the pair are set to dance the jive to Hey Ya! by OutKast this Saturday.

During an appearance on the BBC’s The One Show, the pair were shown a video of four young people who have received support from Children In Need ahead of the appeal show next month, including a teenager called Grace who discussed her cancer diagnosis of neuroblastoma.

Responding to the clip, Dowden said: “She’s so inspiring and I guess I feel now, after being back on Strictly, how she is now – like there is a life after cancer.

“And my motto is now ‘Go grab life’.”

Dowden found a lump the day before her honeymoon in 2023 with her husband, the professional dancer Ben Jones.

After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, the dancer announced in February that she has “no evidence of disease” following tests.

The first live show of the 2024 series saw Dowden top the judges’ leaderboard after her waltz with Gill secured them a score of 31.

For their performance this weekend, Dowden said some of Gill’s habits from his days in boy band JLS have tried to creep in.

She said: “JB has actually never took a dance lesson in his life, he’s just done a bit of choreography with the boys.

“But the choreography he’s done with the boys couldn’t be further away from Latin and ballroom and this week, those old habits – well they’re not old habits or bad habits because they’re the right habits for the band.

“For ballroom and Latin, it’s getting away a little this week, isn’t it? But I see so much potential. We’re loving it.”

Gill revealed that Dowden had allowed him a “little bit of free rein” to incorporate some of his boy band moves into the upcoming dance.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 6.25pm.