Amy Dowden is helping to normalise hair loss during cancer treatment by posing without her wig for a stunning cover shoot.
The Strictly star says she was motivated to do it as she wished she had someone to look up to in the public eye when diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 19. The dancer added: “I had a little moment: I imagined teenagers being able to go to school and being able to embrace [not having hair] or go swimming and be like, ‘I’m like Amy who’s off Strictly’.
“That gave me the confidence to go, ‘Yeah, let’s do this’.”
Amy, 33, revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in June. She had a mastectomy and chemotherapy before ringing the bell signalling the end of treatment this month.
The Welsh ballroom professional said she sometimes felt angry.
Don’t miss… Amy Dowden makes surprise Strictly return despite cancer battle and broken foot
She added: “I’ve been dealt a difficult one. It took me a long time to accept my Crohn’s. Until I’m back dancing and to my normal self, I don’t think I will accept it.”
Amy told Women’s Health the diagnosis was like joining “a club you would never wish to be in” but added that she is grateful for support from her “fellow pink sisters” and Strictly pals. She said: “I’m my fellow professionals’ biggest cheerleader.
“Not a day goes by without Dianne [Buswell] checking in on me, Carlos [Gu], Katya [Jones]. Production have gone above and beyond to make me part of the series as well. To have no part in it would have been soul-destroying. And not good for me mentally.”
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