Strictly Come Dancing fans were left thrilled on Saturday as Amy Dowden celebrated her return to the BBC show with a triumphant performance.
The professional dancer, 34, looked as if she had never left the stage, making a glorious return to the ballroom following her courageous battle with breast cancer.
A segment of the new episode of the hit dance show was dedicated to Amy’s own performance, where she was accompanied by a host of talented dancers.
Amy, who is now cancer-free, was a vision in a dazzling fuchsia ballroom dress with feather embellishments, twirling as she showed off her incredible moves.
Strictly fans have been eagerly awaiting the star’s return and took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their excitement, with many saying they were left “in tears” and “with tears of joy” at the emotional bit, writing:
Strictly Come Dancing fans couldn’t contain their emotions on Saturday as Amy Dowden celebrated her return with a triumphant dance performance.
The professional dancer, 34, looked as if she had never left the stage, making a glorious return to the ballroom following her courageous battle with breast cancer.
‘I’m literally crying tears of joy at Amy’s dance, as if she turned 40 overnight? #Strictly’;
‘SEEING AMY BACK IS EVERYTHING #strictly’;
‘Fantastic to see Amy Dowden back #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly’;
‘THAT’S MY GIRL! What an inspiration Amy is! #Strictly’;
‘Seeing Amy back on the dance floor is so special I immediately said ‘why am I about to cry?’ AMY DOWDEN WE LOVE YOU #strictly’;
“It’s great to see Amy back where she belongs #Strictly”;
“It’s lovely to see Amy Dowden back where she belongs on the dance floor and looking so happy and healthy #Strictly”;
‘The mere sight of Amy was enough to bring tears to my eyes, I’m so happy she’s back. #Strictly #scd’;
“So lovely to see Amy Dowden back on the dance floor. She’s been through hell and back and her family and friends must be so proud that she’s fought back and is back to full health. Keep fighting Amy, we love you. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing”;
This comes after Amy revealed cancer has “changed her forever” and said she will never take “anything for granted” again after fearing she “wouldn’t make it to Christmas”.
The Strictly Come Dancing star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023 in what became the most difficult year of her life.
Strictly fans have been eagerly awaiting the star’s return and were quick to take to X, formerly Twitter, to share their excitement, with many saying they were left “in tears” and “with tears of joy” at the emotional moment.
Amy was a vision in a dazzling fuchsia ballroom dress with feather embellishments, twirling as she showed off her incredible moves.
The Strictly star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023 and in what became the most difficult year of her life, Amy underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment and also nearly died from sepsis.
And in a new interview, Amy told how she now has a positive outlook on life after overcoming the disease and admitted she is no longer “angry” with it.
Speaking to Prima magazine about how her experience with cancer has left its mark on her, Amy firmly explained: “Cancer has changed me forever. I will never take anything or anyone for granted, and I now know my worth. I might have been trampled on in the past, but now I know what my strength is.”
The dancer had discovered a lump in her breast the day before leaving for her honeymoon in May last year and after undergoing treatment, she was given the all-clear this year.
But although she is now over the worst, the Welsh beauty candidly admitted there were times when she thought she would not make it through the illness because she was plagued by negative thoughts.
Recalling the dark times she went through, Amy explained: “I would lie awake for hours, thinking, ‘Will I make it to Christmas? Will I dance again?’ I don’t go to bed worried anymore.”
Amy positively recounted how she had put those thoughts behind her and that her experience with cancer had even helped her not to stress about her Crohn’s disease, as she had to “take a backseat” to the cancer.
A segment of the new episode of the hit dance show was dedicated to Amy’s own performance, where she was accompanied by a host of talented dancers.
The star is now looking to the future and can’t wait to return to the Strictly dance floor later this year.
As she emerged from the abyss, she said, “I’m out of the abyss now and I can’t be angry anymore. I can’t change what happened, I can only move on. I have the rest of my life ahead of me and I can’t give it any more time than it’s already taken.”
Amy has also written a book, Dancing In The Rain, about her experience, in which the blonde beauty recalls how the process of writing her book was so important during her healing process as it gave her “purpose”.
She said: “When you suffer from a chronic illness or cancer, you have this strange feeling that the world is spinning without you. Normality is taken away from you and you lose your sense of purpose. I am normally a very busy bee, but I was waking up every day and not doing what I love, so the book gave me purpose in what was a very dark and lonely time.”