The BBC has made a documentary following Amy Dowden and her fight to return to Strictly Come Dancing after her breast cancer diagnosis at 32.
Amy’s world came crashing down when she was diagnosed with cancer the day after she came home from her honeymoon with husband Tom Parkes in 2023.
Following the news her cancer had subsided, fans have hoped the professional dancer would return to Strictly where she worked from 2017 to 2022.
The BBC revealed on Wednesday that six days after Amy’s diagnosis, she made the brave decision to allow their cameras to follow her experiences.
Over 15 months, the upcoming documentary follows Amy as she is thrown into a world of surgery, chemotherapy, fertility treatment, and uncertainty.
The BBC has made a documentary following Amy Dowden, 33, and her fight to return to Strictly Come Dancing after her breast cancer diagnosis at 32
Following her remission, fans have hoped the professional dancer would return to Strictly where she worked from 2017 to 2022 (pictured in March’s Dare to Dance with Stephen Hart
The upcoming documentary follows Amy from just six days after the diagnosis to 15 months later as she is thrown into a world of surgery, chemotherapy, and fertility treatment
Amy said of the documentary: ‘A year ago I was recently married and about to go on honeymoon, it was an exciting new chapter in my life, but finding a lump on my breast changed my life.
‘I never thought at my age I would get cancer and, despite having family members and friends who were cancer survivors, had no idea just what the impact on my life would be.
‘I’ve learnt so much about myself and what a cancer diagnosis means on this journey. I hope others find hope and strength from this film, and that it encourages everyone to check themselves, no matter what age you are.’
News of the documentary comes after Amy delighted fans by confirming that she will return to Strictly Come Dancing for series 22 in September.
‘I’m so happy and grateful to be back on @bbcstrictly MY HEART IS SO HAPPY,’ Amy wrote on Instagram. ‘The best team on and off the dance floor.
‘I can’t wait to be back doing what I love most in the world, dancing! Feel blessed and more excited than EVER. Bring it on! Thank you @bbcstrcitly for your support always. Eeeeeekkk #amysback.’
Amy foreshadowed the happy news on BBC Breakfast in April, when she emotionally declared: ‘If Strictly will have me back, I’ll be back. The goal and the dream is to be back on the dancefloor, as well. ‘Cause I’ve missed it so, so much.’
Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Cymru in Amy’s native Wales, said: ‘The courage and resilience Amy has shown over the past couple of years is without doubt.
‘To then have the strength to also allow cameras follow her deeply personal experience in the hope that something positive will come out of what has been such a difficult experience for her and her family is nothing short of extraordinary. This film is very inspiring.”
News of the documentary comes after Amy delighted fans by confirming that she will return to Strictly Come Dancing for series 22 in September
Amy foreshadowed the happy news on BBC Breakfast in April, when she emotionally declared: ‘If Strictly will have me back, I’ll be back’
The Strictly star competed as a professional dancer on the BBC reality show from 2017 till 2022 (pictured in 2017)
Paul Islwyn Thomas, CEO of the documentary’s producer Wildflame Productions said: ‘We’re all so grateful to Amy, her family and friends, for allowing Wildflame to be with her in what has been the most challenging time of her life.
‘Without Amy’s openness and candour, we would not have been able to make the film we have made.
‘It’s been a huge privilege for our team, led by Jacci Parry, to have been with Amy every step of the way and to be able to share her inspirational and personal story with a wide audience on the BBC. Amy truly is one amazing lady.’
Amy Dowden: Fight of My Life will air on BBC One Wales, BBC One, and iPlayer later this summer.