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Amy Dowden was moved to tears as a young girl was handed a prize at the Pride of Britain Awards after she was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer in 2021.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy, 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and underwent a mastectomy before doctors discovered she was also battling another form of cancer and would need further treatment.

Twinkle-toed star Amy returned to Strictly for one night only on Saturday to support her co-stars in her first TV appearance since shaving her head following her chemotherapy.

Amy stepped out to the Pride of Britain Awards at Grosvenor House in London on Sunday and she was seen sobbing as the ceremony aired on ITV1 on Thursday this week.  

Pride of Britain’s Child of Courage award winner Freya Harris, eight, went through ‘hell and back’ after being diagnosed with a rare cancer, and Amy was seen wiping away tears as the schoolgirl was honoured during the ceremony.

Emotional: Amy Dowden was moved to tears as a young girl was handed a prize at the Pride of Britain Awards after she was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer in 2021

Health troubles: Pride of Britain’s Child of Courage award winner Freya Harris, eight, went through ‘hell and back’ after being diagnosed with a rare cancer

The cancer warrior was recognised after she won second place at Crufts with her Australian Shepherd dog, Echo, even though she was undergoing chemotherapy for kidney cancer at the time.  

When she was seven years old, Freya was diagnosed with Wilms’ Tumour, a form of kidney cancer that affects around 80 children in the UK each year.

Freya’s family received the devastating news that she had cancer in December 2021 after first becoming ill two months earlier.

Soon after, it was confirmed as stage four cancer and Freya underwent a kidney removal, lung surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for a year.

Freya was later diagnosed with a rare side effect from the chemotherapy triggering internal organ failure, which luckily, she managed to overcome.

‘She’s been through hell and back and it’s been a definite battle,’ Freya’s mother Gemma said during an appearance on Lorraine.

‘We did nearly lose her at one point, and I had a courter prepare me for the worst.

‘But what Freya does, is she pulls through, and she doesn’t give up her fight, which is just the epitome of Freya.’

On air: Freya (pictured left), her dog Echo (centre) and mother Gemma (pictured right) featured on Lorraine after winning a Pride of Britain award 

What is a Wilms’ tumour?

The disease is a form of kidney cancer that affects around 70 children in the UK each year.

It most often develops in youngsters below the age of five.

Wilms’ tumours, also known as nephroblastomas, begins to develop when a baby is still growing inside their mother.

However, it may not cause any symptoms until a few years after the child is born.

They are most common in children under five but can appear in older children and adults on rare occasions.

Wilms’ tumours usually only affect one kidney (unilateral).

But in about seven out of every 100 children it can affect both (bilateral).

Most Wilms’ tumours are quite large when they are found – very often they are much bigger than the kidney itself.

Fortunately, most of them have not spread to other parts of the body.

The most common symptom is a swelling in the abdomen, which is usually painless.

Occasionally, the tumour may bleed slightly and this can cause irritation in the area of the kidney, which may be painful.

Children with the condition may have blood in their urine, or their blood pressure may be raised.

The child may also have a fever, upset stomach, weight loss or a lack of appetite.

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During the treatment process, Echo was Freya’s reason to get home. ‘She was my aim if I was at hospital, I had to get home to see her,’ Freya said.

Freya’s love of dogs formed at an early age, when she would help her mum who used to work as a dog walker, and the two would always sit down to watch Crufts together.

Gemma and Freya’s father decided to buy puppy Echo to encourage their daughter to go for walks after having to spend weeks at a time in hospital.

The inseparable duo inspired thousands when they walked onto the world’s most famous dog stage at the NEC Birmingham.

Describing her experience as ‘amazing’, Freya achieved second place at the Cruft’s show. She added: ‘I did it for cancer warriors.’

This week, Strictly star Amy voiced her gratitude for Britain’s unsung heroes as she shared a slew of snaps from the Pride of Britain Awards.

She took to her Instagram on Tuesday to post a number of photos from inside the glitzy event and to express what an ‘honour’ and ‘privilege’ it was to be in attendance.

Amy oozed confidence in a floor-length pink gown with a giant satin bow on the shoulder, to represent the pink ribbon that symbolises the fight against breast cancer, as October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Amy shared shots of her heading to the awards with her twin sister Becky and fellow Strictly pro Dianne Buswell.

The glamorous trio posed with Giovanna Fletcher on the red carpet for a beaming selfie.

Amy also caught up with It Takes Two host Janette Manrara, who matched with her in another bright pink gown.

Another shot showed her with Janette’s husband Aljaž Škorjanec ​midway through snapping a selfie.

She also posed for photos alongside her other Strictly co-stars Carlos Gu and Vito Coppola.

Captioning the gorgeous pictures, Amy detailed her experience being at the awards, and revealed her personal connection to one winner.

Best pal: Freya’s parents bought Echo to encourage the youngster to get outside and go for walks after spending weeks in hospital 

She penned: ‘Sunday evening I had the honour of attending @prideofbritain, where we get to celebrate extraordinary people who go above and beyond to help others.

‘It was a privilege to stand along side my Strictly Come Dancing family and present a award to John Burkhill a remarkable man who has raised such a huge sum of money for @macmillancancer – a charity which has played a significant part in my own journey recently.’

She added: ‘It was a humbling experience and one that I was truly grateful to be a part of and to be able to show my gratitude.’

Amy recently shaved off her hair after losing much of her locks during her gruelling chemotherapy.

Honour: Amy coiced her gratitude for Britain’s unsung heroes as she shared a slew of snaps from the Pride of Britain Awards this week

Dream team: The professional dancer attended the inspiring ceremony on Sunday evening, where she reunited with her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars

Humbling: She took to her Instagram on Tuesday to post a number of photos from inside the glitzy event and to express what an ‘honour’ and ‘privilege’ it was to be in attendance (pictured with Giovanna Fletcher)

Stunning: Amy oozed confidence in a floor-length pink gown with a giant satin bow on the shoulder, to represent the pink ribbon that symbolises the fight against breast cancer, as October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month

She’s back! Amy’s glamorous outing comes after she returned to Strictly on Saturday night to support her co-stars in her first TV appearance since shaving her head 

She previously revealed she would cry herself to sleep at night as she watched her hair fall out onto her pillow.

Last month she 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 said 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

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Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com

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