Amy Dowden, who has been living with Crohn’s disease since the age of 11 and has had a number of surgeries over the years, feels strongly when it comes to discrimination in the workplace
Amy Dowden has revealed a situation that makes her feel “even more punished” by her health battles. Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 after finding a lump just one day before her honeymoon, had a mastectomy and was later diagnosed with a second form of cancer.
However, cancer isn’t the sole health condition that has affected her life. Amy also contracted sepsis, fractured a foot, and developed a blood clot on her lung, all within a matter of months – and that’s not everything.
Amy has also been living with Crohn’s disease since the age of 11 and has undergone multiple surgeries over the years. She says that it helped her “cope” with cancer, explaining that she’s “used to enduring things, getting on with life regardless”.
Regarding discrimination in work due to health, Amy holds firm opinions. She told the i Paper: “We feel even more punished by our health struggles when people won’t take you for a job because they think you might be unreliable.
“We’re often so much more reliable. Other people will take a day or two off with a cold and we’ll push right on through because we’re used to the pain. We crack on.”
In a positive development in 2024, Amy, who hails from Caerphilly, received the all-clear from cancer, previously saying a health check had gleaned “no evidence of disease”.
Amy, who was paired with Thomas Skinner (famed for his appearance on The Apprentice) in the previous series of Strictly, had an early departure from the programme; in fact, they were the first couple to be eliminated.
A “gutted” Amy said she wanted to “represent cancer survivors” on that year’s series. Speaking to The Mail’s Richard Eden at the Women of the Year Awards, she revealed that she felt like she’d “let them down”.
She stated: “I’m gutted to be out of the competition because I really wanted to represent cancer survivors – and I feel like I’ve let them down.”
Amy went on to say: “I wanted Thomas to go far but, selfishly, I wanted to do it for the cancer community. Since my diagnosis, I came back, got pulled out, came back again and then finished last.”
She further commented: “I just wanted to show what you can be capable of following life after cancer.”
In additional remarks, Amy noted that she’d told herself that participating in the highly popular series and taking to the dance floor once again would show people that there’s “life after” a cancer diagnosis.
You can catch Amy on Celebrity Catchphrase on ITV on Saturday, March 28, from 5:50pm to 6:45pm.
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