Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden revealed what it’s really like working with her former rival turned co-star ahead of their tour
Amy Dowden has opened up about her friendship with her Strictly Come Dancing co-star and former rival Carlos Gu. The pair are preparing to return to the stage for a new chapter of their tour, Reborn, which kicks off next month.
Ahead of showcasing their moves, Amy revealed what it was really like working with 2025’s Strictly winning professional.
The 35-year-old said the pair are like siblings – which sometimes means they “fight”. “We’ve known each other for a long time and were rivals, but never bitter ones, always friends,” she said. “He’s a beautiful soul who was there for me during my cancer journey.
“He calls my mum and dad ‘mama and papa’ – we really are like brother and sister,” she added to The Metro newspaper.
“We fight, we cry, we laugh, and we don’t hold back. I’ll come downstairs in something and he’ll go, ‘Who told you you look good in that?’ But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Revealing what fans can expect from the tour, she said there will be an appearance from Carlos’ former Strictly partner Karen Carney at two venues.
She also teased an “empowering new group number” as part of the 24 routines they are preparing.
Amy’s return to the stage comes after a difficult period with her health. The dancer underwent chemotherapy and a mastectomy following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023.
She also lives with Crohn’s disease and has suffered a broken foot, sepsis, and blood clots in recent years.
Reflecting on her health journey, Amy said it has felt like a “weird mix” of being lucky and unlucky, but that she has tried her best to remain positive.
“A young lady, Nikki, lost her life to breast cancer when I was going through chemo, and her motto was, ‘Go grab life’,” she said. “I’ve promised her and myself that’s what I’ll do.
“I’m still here, my hair has grown back, I’ve got my energy and dancing sparkle back, and when life is hard, I’m lucky to have family and friends around me,” she added.
In the same interview, Amy said she is still unsure whether she will return to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor later this year.
This comes after several of her co-stars announced their departures from the line-up, including the show’s longest-serving professional, Karen Hauer.
Recently addressing the changes, Carlos said on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast: “I know we’ve heard, we’ve all seen the news, but nothing confirmed by the BBC yet, so we’re waiting.
“I think they’re going to make the final announcement for the full cast. But like I said, being in a position of not knowing if you’re going to stay or not is scary. We work so hard in our lives, but those things are out of your hands.”
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