STRICTLY Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden has emotionally revealed she came close to quitting the show two years ago.
The professional dancer is heading back to the ballroom for the 2026 series, having survived show bosses’ axe ‘bloodbath’ back in March.
Strictly’s Amy Dowden has revealed she almost quit the show two years ago Credit: BBC
The star opened up on a ‘low’ point after being forced to pull out of the show for a second time in 2024 Credit: BBC
But in an interview ahead of her upcoming return, Amy, 35, shared how after her breast cancer battle she considered walking away from the BBC show.
“I’d been pulled out of Strictly and I was ready to hang up my dancing shoes,” she told The Mirror, referencing the 2024 show where she was partnered with The Apprentice’s Thomas Skinner.
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At the time, Amy was forced to pull out to undergo another mastectomy on advice from her doctors, despite being cancer free.
The star emotionally revealed how a Strictly co-star and her husband became her biggest cheerleaders and persuaded her to keep dancing.
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Amy credits fellow Strictly star Carlos – plus her husband Ben – for keeping her dancing Credit: Channel 4
Amy previously battled breast cancer and was given the all clear in summer 2024 Credit: BBC
“It was Carlos [Gu] and Ben, my husband, who gave me that tough love, that motivation to make sure I didn’t.
“If it wasn’t for them, I truly was gonna hang up my dancing shoes. It was only then I really knew how low I was in my life. I was at an ultimate low.”
Amy was first diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023, and underwent an initial mastectomy.
Then just a couple of months later she was told she had another type of cancer, which was found elsewhere in the body.
In August 2024, her return to Strictly was thrown into chaos when doctors raised concerns about abnormalities in her breast following a check-up, yet she was thankfully given the all clear.
Amy was then paired with Thomas Skinner, who became the first celebrity to get the boot after a dance off with rugby star Chris Robshaw.
The pro dancer pulled out of the show after her exit with Tom, 34, being absent from pro group routines and the live final.
This year Amy is one of a number of familiar pro dancer faces who’ll be back on screens this autumn.
Dianne Buswell, Kai Widdrington and last year’s winner Carlos, who scooped the coveted Gliterball Trophy with footballer Karen Carney, will be back alongside Australian hunk Julian Caillon.
Katya Jones also returns in addition to Jowita Przystal, Aljaž Škorjanec, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Alexis Warr and Vito Coppola.
Five new faces were announced as joining the show last weekend, months after the Strictly axe ‘bloodbath’ saw bosses ditch stars Michelle Tsiakkas, Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez.
Ukrainian Aleksandra Isaeva, Italian hunk Cristian Priori and South African latin champion Lethabo Monametsi will be making their Strictly dancer debut alongside Canadian dancer Mark Karmalita and UK National Ballroom Champion Maddie Ingoldsby.
