BBC
Amy Dowden said the past year had been a rollercoaster
Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden said she “would love a family” after freezing five of her embryos following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023.
The 34-year-old from Caerphilly underwent egg retrieval prior to treatment to give her and her husband Ben Jones the chance to try for a baby in future.
She announced in February 2024 that she had “no evidence of disease” following tests, and was paired with JLS singer JB Gill in the most recent series until an injury forced her to pull out.
“I’m just saying yes to as many opportunities and living life to the full,” she added.
The dancer discussed her plans to try for a family on the What If? podcast with Lorraine Kelly and her daughter Rosie.
“We would love a family and we’ve got embryos, because, obviously, I’ve got a hormone-fed cancer so I was put into menopause, which happened the day I started chemo,” she said.
“So in a couple of years, when they feel it’s safe, hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity.”
She said the past year had been a “rollercoaster” for her loved ones.
“My mum recently came up to Blackpool to watch my students dance and she said to me: ‘Last year, I said to you we were going to come and watch and to be honest with you, the fact you’re still here is everything’.”
She previously discussed her experience with fertility treatment in the BBC documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me.
The dancer will perform alongside JB Gill during the Strictly live tour, beginning later this month.
The Strictly dancer’s treatment for stage three breast cancer was captured in a BBC documentary
After leaving the competition in November, she said the injury had “nothing to do with any previous health scares”.
She was unable to perform with a celebrity dance partner in 2023, following her diagnosis, having found a lump in her breast the day before her honeymoon.
