Amy Dowden has shared a health update on Instagram on Wednesday evening as she marked two weeks since having a second mastectomy.
The professional dancer was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023 and underwent treatment including a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment and also almost died of sepsis.
Amy has now had a second mastectomy and is sharing updates with fans on social media as she recovers.Â
The Strictly star shared a ‘post surgery’ selfie wearing a compression bra and brown checked trousers.Â
She gushed she is ‘proud of how far’ she’s come post surgery and is ‘focusing on little things’ every day and ‘celebrating the small wins’.Â
Amy wrote: ‘This picture I took the day I come out of hospital, post surgery! Tomorrow marks two weeks since my surgery, and I’m feeling proud with how far I’ve come.
Amy Dowden has shared a health update on Instagram on Wednesday evening as she marked two weeks since having a second mastectomy
The Strictly star gushed she is ‘proud of how far’ she’s come post surgery and is ‘focusing on little things’ every day and ‘celebrating the small wins’
‘Focusing on the little things, I’m seeing gradual improvements in my movement and being able to do more each day.Â
‘I have been taking it slow, listening to my body, being kind with myself, and celebrating the small wins.Â
‘But this week I’ve really seen a difference and feeling so like me again. Please remember to check yourself’.Â
Elsewhere Amy took to her Instagram Stories to share a candid video discussing her recovery as she explained she is ‘starting to feel like me again’.Â
She said: ‘I am doing so much better thank you, since the weekend I’ve started to feel like me again, my energy and movement is back, its not so tender and the bruising has gone down. I’m looking forward to doing physio and getting some more movement.Â
‘Every patient is different so only do what your doctor recommendations. I went to see mine a week after my surgery and I had my dressings removed and its really swollen but I had a look and I’m really happy with it and now its all about recovery and getting back on the dance floor when I’m feeling better.’
The dancer explained how she has been shopping as she is currently unable to wear her ‘lovely dresses’ due to them being ‘uncomfortable’ or her impression bra showing’.  Â
‘I can’t wear low tops and I’ve got to wear impression bras and getting a jumper on is hard and in the grand scheme of things its not a problem’, she explained.Â
Amy wrote: ‘This picture I took the day I come out of hospital, post surgery! Tomorrow marks two weeks since my surgery, and I’m feeling proud with how far I’ve come’
Fans and famous faces took to the comments including Zoe Ball, Dianne Buswell and Karen Hauer to wish Amy wellÂ
Elsewhere Amy took to her Instagram Stories to share a candid video discussing her recovery as she explained she is ‘starting to feel like me again’
‘I’ve got some lovely dresses but I can’t wear them they are just uncomfortable or the impression bras or on show or I can’t get out of them cause I’m restricted movement. So I had an excuse to do some retail therapy.’Â
Amy concluded by reassuring fans she is ‘doing really well’ and is looking forward to watching the Strictly Come Dancing stars at Blackpool on Saturday. Â
She said: ‘But yeah I’m doing really really well and two weeks on Thursday and from the weekend onwards I have seen a massive difference in my recovery.Â
‘It feels so good to be out and about again, I’m still taking things day by day and being patient but I’m doing my best. People have been asking for advice but I can only say what helped me.Â
‘Thank you so much and I’m looking forward to Strictly Blackpool!’
It comes after Amy revealed her second mastectomy surgery has gone well as she shared a health update with fans earlier this week.
Sharing a snap from the hospital post surgery, the star revealed she managed to tune into the Celebrity Traitors final.
Lying in her hospital bed she was joined by her husband Ben and family members as she penned: ‘Thank you for all the messages and love. Sorry I’ve not replied to anyone, (only just looked at my phone).
‘Surgery went well and lots of sleep and resting up. Hubby & Family have been looking after me and the besties have turned up with the goods and nothing is stopping us from watching the traitors…keeping the tradition going’.
Friends and fans rushed to the comments to share their love with the star as fellow professional dancer Dianne Buswell wrote: ‘heal and rest up Amy’. Â
The dancer was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023 and underwent treatment including a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment and also almost died of sepsisÂ
Claudia Winkleman and Ashley James added a series of love hearts.Â
Others commented: ‘Sending lots of love and healing vibes x’; ‘Sending so much love. Hope your recovery is smooth and everything went well. Lots of love’.
Back in February 2024, Amy revealed that doctors could find no evidence of the disease in her system, but that she wouldn’t officially get the all-clear for five years and would still need treatment.
And on Monday, the dancer – who was eliminated from Strictly first this year with Thomas Skinner – shared she would be having a second mastectomy.Â
She penned: ‘As you all know I’ve always been very open about my health and the care I receive. So I’d like to start by being clear what I am about to share is not to treat a new cancer diagnosis.Â
‘However following a recent appointment with my incredible medical team, we’ve decided that I’ll be having another mastectomy this week. They’re confident that, all going well, I can expect a straightforward recovery.’
Amy concluded: ‘Once I have healed I look forward to rejoining my Strictly family.Â
‘Of course I’m going to miss not being there so much but I will be watching from home and look forward to cheering everyone on. Thank you always for all the support. Welsh love Amy xxx’.
As part of her ongoing cancer treatment, Amy visits her local oncology ward every month to receive an injection and to be monitored.Â
After being eliminated from Strictly first this year with Thomas Skinner, Amy shared she would be having a second mastectomy
As part of her ongoing cancer treatment, Amy visits her local oncology ward every month to receive an injection and to be monitoredÂ
Last month Amy opened up about the deep sadness she feels over ‘letting down’ fellow cancer sufferers after she and her celebrity partner, Apprentice star Thomas, were the first to be voted off this series.
‘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,’ she said at the Women of the Year Awards at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London.
‘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.’
Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, less than a year after she and fellow dancer Benjamin Jones were married.
She was given the all-clear early last year, but her initial return to Strictly – when she was partnered with JLS singer JB Gill – was cut short after just six weeks due to a foot injury.
‘I just wanted to show what you can be capable of following life after cancer,’ she said at the time.
‘But I keep telling myself, coming back onto Strictly and getting back on the dancefloor will show ladies and men there is life after a cancer diagnosis.’
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.Â
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
