BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden says she was shown who her 'true friends are'

Amy Dowden has told how she was shown who her 'true friends are' as she highlighted the pain of friendship shifts during her cancer journey.

The Strictly Come Dancing star was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023. She had been on her honeymoon with her husband Ben Jones when she discovered a lump in her breast.

After discovering the news, she underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy. She also contracted life-threatening sepsis while undergoing treatment as she faced a number of frightening setbacks before ringing the end-of-treatment bell and being told there is "no evidence of disease" following tests earlier this year.

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Amy, who made her Strictly professional return last month for the current series and is partnered with JLS star JB Gill, has now highlighted how cancer put a lot of things into perspective – including her relationships.

"I learned from this who my true friends are, and my family. You learn so much and I’ll never be able to thank my friends and family who’ve been there for me enough," the Welsh dancer told the PA news agency. "Some of my friends put their own life on hold for us – some will cancel their holidays, their day trips, to be there for us.

"And then there were others who were sat at my wedding the year before, but we didn’t even hear from when I got diagnosed, and that still hurts now. They couldn’t even send a text," continued the Strictly star, who married husband Ben in July 2022 and also recently published her memoir, Dancing In The Rain – which documents her journey to fulfilling her childhood dancing dreams alongside living with Crohn’s, and being diagnosed with breast cancer in spring 2023 at age 32.

"And then there were other friends who just couldn’t have done enough, like laughing and crying with me, held sick bowls for me, cut my hair for me. Those people, I’ll never be able to repay for helping us get through it.

“Unfortunately, you learn in the toughest of times who really are the best people in your life. And now I just surround myself with them, because you are a product of the people who [you have in your life]."