Strictly's Amy Dowden on 'new upper body' as she returns to dancefloor
Watch: Strictly's Amy Dowden on 'new upper body' as she gets back to the dancefloor
What did you miss?
Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden has spoken about the "new upper body" she has had to get used to in her return to the ballroom after cancer treatment.
Pro dancer Dowden had to miss the BBC One series last year as she was in treatment for breast cancer, but made a welcome comeback partnering JB Gill for the 2024 series. She told ITV's Lorraine that she was learning to accept her "new normal" body.
Gill and Dowden also spoke about criticism that the JLS star had too much previous dance experience, insisting it did not give him an advantage on Strictly.
What, how, and why?
Amy Dowden's return to the Strictly dancefloor this series was an emotional moment for fans of the show - and the dancer, who was absent last year while she was in treatment for breast cancer, told ITV's Lorraine that it had been very special for her, too.
Speaking on Wednesday's show, she shared: "When I got back in rehearsals with the Strictly pros this summer, back with the Strictly family, it was actually when I felt like Amy again."
Dowden was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023 and underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, treatment for sepsis and a blood clot on her lung, and broke her foot in late 2023.
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Asked by host Lorraine Kelly whether she felt back to normal now that she is back in the Strictly cast, Dowden admitted: "It's a new normal and I've got a new upper body. I've been put into menopause and it's just accepting. I put weight on, understandably, because I broke my foot, because of the chemo I put two stone on, I've lost a bit. But do you know what, my body got me through it, I'm proud of my body."
The dancer, who also has Crohn's disease, spoke about Kate Middleton getting back to her annual charity Christmas carol concert after her own cancer treatment and said that the Princess of Wales had offered her support.
Dowden said: "She was so kind to me. Her words to me, before her diagnosis, 'let us know if there's anything we can do'. And I guess for her, because I know how it felt for me, getting back to normality is so good."
What did JB Gill and Amy Dowden say about the dance experience controversy?
Each year, at least one contestant comes under fire from Strictly critics over their previous dance experience, and this series it is the turn of JLS star JB Gill.
He and Dowden are currently top of the leaderboard after earning 31 points for their Waltz in the first live show, but some viewers have complained that Gill has an unfair advantage from his pop star days. He also won the 2012 Strictly Christmas special dancing a Jive with Ola Jordan, and is married to a former backing dancer.
But Gill defended himself to Lorraine, saying: "All I can say is the only dance I did before was a Jive. Other than that I've got no understanding of ballroom or Latin dancing."
Dowden added that Gill's bandmate Aston Merrygold had taken part in Strictly in 2017, but did not come close to winning despite his previous experience in dance.
She said: "Aston did it and he didn't go all the way to the final - he's got more dance experience than you. He got to week seven. I can play the piano, but it doesn't mean I can play the violin. It's the same with dancing, I can't tap dance."
Lorraine airs on ITV1 at 9am on weekdays.
