Amy Dowden says appearing without a wig on Strictly was ‘liberating’ and reveals she only decided to ‘brave the bald’ last-minute amid cancer battle

Amy Dowden has thanked her fans for their support after she made a surprise appearance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night amid her cancer battle.

The professional dancer, 33, returned to the show to support her co-stars in her first TV appearance since shaving her head.

Amy recently revealed she’d shaved off her hair after losing much of her locks during her gruelling chemotherapy, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in May.

She underwent a mastectomy in June before doctors discovered she was also battling another form of cancer and would need further treatment.

Starring on the BBC show, Amy dazzled in a white gown with silver sequins as she joined host Claudia Winkleman and the contestants in the studio.

Grateful: Amy Dowden has thanked her fans for their support after she made a surprise appearance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night amid her cancer battle

Inspiration: The professional dancer, 33, returned to the show to support her co-stars in her her first TV appearance since shaving her head

She’s back! Starring on the BBC show, Amy dazzled in a white gown with silver sequins as she joined host Claudia Winkleman and the contestants in the studio

She also decided to go without a wig and revealed that her decision to ‘brave the bald’ had been last minute.

Taking to her Instagram on Sunday to reflect on her surprise appearance, Amy confessed to her followers that the experience had been ‘liberating’.

She shared a slew of snaps from the behind-the-scenes of the show alongside members of her ‘Strictly family’ including fellow dancer Dianne Buswell.

Although she cannot take part in Strictly in her usual role this year, Amy has expressed the incredible support she’s had from her family at the BBC dance show.

Captioning the photos, she wrote: ‘There are no words to describe the pure joy and happiness I felt last night being back with my @bbcstrictly family.

‘It is their love and support that gave me the courage to decide last minute to step out and brave the bald.’

Amy also shared a tweet from a viewer that read: ‘Amy Dowden choosing not to wear a wig on #Strictly tonight has just shown every little girl going through chemo that bald is beautiful. What a role model.’

Responding to the sweet comment, she gushed: ‘It’s messages like the above which is why I use my platform to raise awareness and hopefully give others confidence #baldisbeautful.

Tough time: Amy recently revealed she’d shaved off her hair after losing much of her locks during her gruelling chemotherapy, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in May

Empowering: She decided to go without a wig on Saturday night and revealed that her decision to ‘brave the bald’ had been last minute

Incredible: Taking to her Instagram on Sunday to reflect on her surprise appearance, Amy confessed to her followers that the experience had been ‘liberating’

‘Not saying it was easy and I still miss my long hair dearly but gosh did it feel liberating and it’s breast cancer awareness month which gave me that extra push to do it.

‘Can’t wait to back there with the strictly family again soon. Thanks for all the love guys’.

Amy’s surprise appearance left fans in tears as she confirmed she is halfway through her chemotherapy.

Viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice their admiration with one person admitting they had shed a tear at her triumphant return.

They posted: ‘Just burst into tears when Amy Dowden appeared on my screen. Keep fighting!’

‘Hands up who loves Amy Dowden? And hands up who cried when she read the T&Cs,’ another viewer wrote.

Someone else shared: ‘Absolutely fab-u-lous to see the gorgeous Amy Dowden tonight. What an awesome young lady.’

On Friday, the star revealed she’d bought two wigs after shaving her hair, and it had helped her to regain her confidence.

Family: She shared a slew of snaps from the behind-the-scenes of the show alongside members of her ‘Strictly family’ including fellow dancer Dianne Buswell

Support system: Although she cannot take part in Strictly in her usual role this year, Amy has expressed the incredible support she’s had from her family at the BBC dance show

Emotional: Amy also shared a tweet from a viewer that read: ‘Amy Dowden choosing not to wear a wig on #Strictly tonight has just shown every little girl going through chemo that bald is beautiful. What a role model’

Previously, Amy revealed she would cry herself to sleep at night as she watched her hair fall out onto her pillow in her fight against cancer.

The television favourite explained why she decided to shave her hair off as she told The Mirror: ‘I woke up one morning with quite a lot on the pillow, then I brushed it and quite a lot came out.

‘I was traumatised, crying, I would only brush my hair once a day, but I would dread that brush. My husband would brush it for me so I wouldn’t see.’

‘Then it started going from on top. Ben would hear me crying most nights and come and comfort me. It was upsetting him as well. He hated brushing it.

‘I would dread waking up in the morning, seeing what was on the pillow. It would be in your mouth, a trail being left, it was so distressing. So I saved myself the heartache and took control.’

Amy recently shared a heartbreaking video of herself as her hair was shaved off by her loved ones.

The star broke down in tears before she embraced the brave step she had made as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Amy says while it was tough, it was empowering to take control and is now looking forward to her hair growing back, rather than the heartache of losing it.

Brave: Amy recently shared a heartbreaking video of herself as her hair was shaved off by her loved ones and said while it was tough, it was empowering to take control

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

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Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year

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