Powerfully honest documentary following Strictly pro Amy Dowden’s battle for her health, a future family and a return to dance after a breast cancer diagnosis blows apart her world
Monday: Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me (BBC1, 8pm)
In 2023, it seemed like Amy Dowden was riding high.
The Caerphilly-born British Open Latin Dance Champion had landed her dream job on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 and had become one of the show’s most popular professionals, reaching the final in 2019 with Karim Zeroual.
She had also just married the love of her life and was starting to think about having children. Then she discovered a lump in her breast. Tests subsequently confirmed that the 32-year-old dancer had breast cancer, and her life was turned upside down.
As Amy says: “A year ago I was recently married and about to go on honeymoon, it was an exciting new chapter in my life, but finding a lump on my breast changed my life.
“I never thought at my age I would get cancer and, despite having family members and friends who were cancer survivors, had no idea just what the impact on my life would be.”
Despite not knowing what would happen next, just six days after the diagnosis Amy made the brave decision to allow cameras to chart her experiences, no matter what they would be.
Filmed over the course of 15 months, the film follows Amy as she fights to regain her health, her dancing career and her hopes of starting a family. It means facing a new world of surgery, chemotherapy and fertility treatment, as well as the uncertainty that came with her diagnosis.
However, while the cameras are there to capture some difficult times and tough decisions, there are also moments of hope and resilience.
One of the most uplifting parts of the documentary comes when her Strictly family find a way to include her in the pro-dance in the show’s 2023 final. We also see how much strength Amy is able to draw from her friends and family, as well as the public, who messaged her in their thousands to show their support.
Amy says: “I’ve learnt so much about myself and what a cancer diagnosis means on this journey. I hope others find hope and strength from this film, and that it encourages everyone to check themselves, no matter what age you are.”
Nick Andrews, BBC Cymru Wales’ Head of Commissioning adds: “The courage and resilience Amy has shown over the past couple of years is without doubt. To then have the strength to also allow cameras follow her deeply personal experience in the hope that something positive will come out of what has been such a difficult experience for her and her family is nothing short of extraordinary. This film is very inspiring.”
The good news for people who want to see more of Amy is that it’s been confirmed she will return as a professional dancer for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing which is set to begin in the autumn.
We don’t yet know who she will be paired with and whether they will have a realistic chance of lifting the glitterball trophy, but we do know she’s already a champion.