Amy Dowden took to Instagram as she documented her last hospital appointment before Christmas on Thursday.
The Strictly star, 33, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, and underwent a mastectomy in July, was supported at the visit by her devoted husband Benjamin Jones.
Donning a festive jumper she bravely beamed in the snaps and thanked hospital staff before joking a large injection was her ‘early Christmas present’.
She wrote: ‘The last apt before Christmas, then we are getting into Christmas spirit and taking out lovely dance teachers out!! Ready to spend Christmas with my loved one’.
Amy and Ben tied the knot in July 2002 and found a lump in her breast the day before she jetted off for a belated honeymoon to the Maldives.
Amy Dowden took to Instagram as she documented her last hospital appointment before Christmas on Thursday.
She made her return to dance floor for Strictly’s final on Saturday after being forced to miss the series due to her illness
It comes after Amy thanked the Strictly Come Dancing team in a heartfelt social media post on Sunday after she returned to the show for the final after being forced to miss the series amid cancer treatment.
She returned to the final and looked to be having a great time as she caught up with all her pals in the dressing rooms amid the show.
She shared behind-the-scene snaps with finalist Dianne Buswell, as well as crew members.
Alongside the pictures, Amy penned on Instagram: ‘Strictly 2023 thank you! Congratulations to our fabulous winners and finalist but also to every member of the team! It’s truly a dream team!’
‘My aim this year was to be able to dance in some way and after breaking my foot the plans had to change but as always the incredible team still made it happen.
‘Last night I got to be part of the opening number, thank you @jasongilkison. To have that adrenaline rush from performing in front of an audience, to be back with the gang made me feel like Amy again (the first time since my diagnosis). Thank you @bbcstrictly for helping me through these past few months.
‘You’ve helped me more than you will ever know! This show certainly brings joy to the nation. It’s bitter sweet coming to the end for me as this has been my only bit of normality the past few months and given me the distraction and focus to be there on Saturdays when I could with the team.’
Concluding the post, she wrote: ‘My heart couldn’t be more full than it is for this show and everyone involved. So proud to be part of the magic! Thank you!’
Donning a festive jumper she bravely beamed in the snaps and thanked hospital staff before joking a large injection was her ‘early Christmas present’
She wrote: ‘The last apt before Christmas, then we are getting into Christmas spirit and taking out lovely dance teachers out!! Ready to spend Christmas with my loved one’
Amy and Ben tied the knot in July 2002 and found a lump in her breast the day before she jetted off for a belated honeymoon to the Maldives
Strictly viewers were moved to tears as Amy made her return to the show’s dance floor during this year’s final on Saturday.
While she has made appearances on the programme and its spin-off It Takes Two , she had not danced with her fellow professionals before the final.
But on Saturday she took to the dance floor once again, opting to go without a wig having lost her hair following her chemotherapy.
The moment left viewers feeling emotional, with many taking to Twitter to express their joy at seeing her on screen.
One viewer wrote: ‘Tearing up at seeing Amy Dowden dancing in the #StrictlyFinal Let’s have her back on #strictly soon!’
Someone else shared: ‘That Amy Dowden reveal was a MOMENT.’
It comes after Amy thanked the Strictly Come Dancing team in a heartfelt social media post on Sunday after she returned to the show for the final after being forced to miss the series amid cancer treatment
She returned to the final and looked to be having a great time as she caught up with all her pals in the dressing rooms amid the show
Alongside the pictures, Amy penned on Instagram: ‘Strictly 2023 thank you! Congratulations to our fabulous winners and finalist but also to every member of the team! It’s truly a dream team!’
While she has made appearances on the programme and its spin-off It Takes Two , she had not danced with her fellow professionals before the final
‘@AmyDowden is dancing!!! Oh my gosh that’s so good to see. Leaky eyes moment,’ shared another viewer.
While someone else posted: ‘OMG #Strictly A minute in and bawling seeing gorgeous #AmyDowden dancing.’
Another show fan commented: ‘Amy Dowden dancing without a wig is the energy everyone needs.’
While someone else shared: ‘Great to see Amy Dowden in the opening routine!!’
Amy bowed out of this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing as she underwent a course of chemotherapy, which she completed in November.
However, earlier this week, the star appeared on ITV’s This Morning where she admitted that her cancer journey is far from over.
The chemo caused neuropathy, meaning she temporarily lost feeling in her hands and feet, causing her to land on her foot at a strange angle and break her metatarsal.
Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, and underwent a mastectomy in July (seen in hospital)
And just weeks after breaking her foot, Amy was rushed to hospital after suffering another health blow.
The professional dancer was diagnosed with a blood clot on her lung but is now thankfully recovering well with the help of blood thinning injections.
Amy explained : ‘I’m taking every day as it comes. I though once I rang that bell I would be fine but it’s not been like that, I find it mentally a lot tougher now. The journey isn’t over yet.
‘I’ve had what I love the most taken away from me and I just find that so cruel.’
As Women’s Health UK’s December cover star, Amy spoke about the life-changing ordeal she has faced since her cancer diagnosis in May.
The dancer insisted: ‘I just want to be treated as normal. When I’m walking outside and I’ve got my headscarf on, I don’t want looks of sympathy or feeling sorry for me – I’m Amy.
‘Sometimes, people don’t know how to address it. Just ask how I am – I will answer you. We don’t want you to feel sorry for us. We’re embracing it. Stand strong with us…Don’t give me that pity look – I don’t need it!’.
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.
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 70 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
