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Amy Dowden has opened up concerning the element she “cried most over” after being identified with most cancers.
The 34-year-old Strictly Come Dancing professional found she had the illness in Could 2023 after discovering a lump in her breast. She has stored her followers up to date along with her journey as she recovered from stage three breast most cancers and was given the all-clear in February this yr.
Dowden, who’s returning to the BBC dancefloor subsequent month, is releasing a brand new memoir that sees her go into element about her chemo periods, her mastectomy and a life-threatening sepsis battle.
Within the guide, titled Dancing within the Rain, the professional revealed that she cried essentially the most tars over shedding her hair.
“My life away from Strictly was distinctly unglamorous,” she stated in an extract obtained by MailOnline. “With every new chemo session, the subsequent problem was rising an increasing number of apparent. Earlier than I might say goodbye to most cancers, I must say goodbye to my hair. And I feel I cried extra over that than the rest.
“I must trim it, clip it and eventually shave it fully – after which face the terrifying choice to seem on nationwide TV with a fuzzy bald head.”
In September 2023, Dowden stated she determined to “take management” and shave her head as she was “crying day-after-day” resulting from her hair falling out resulting from her chemotherapy therapy.
She shared a video of her family members shaving her hair, describing it as “the toughest step to this point”.
However, after, Dowden might be seen admiring the leads to the mirror and wrote as a caption: “This too shall go. I attempted my greatest to reserve it. I do know it’s solely hair however these previous few months I’ve had what seems like a lot taken away from me that has made me not really feel like Amy.
“I’m lacking each doable side of dancing. I simply needed to maintain my id with my hair and I attempted telling myself it wouldn’t go. However I might dread the ache of waking as much as the shredding on a regular basis.”
One month later, the dancer, who was compelled to withdraw from final yr’s Strictly resulting from her sickness, determined to ditch her wig and “courageous the bald” simply moments earlier than her shock look on an episode.
Dowden was extensively praised for the choice by viewers, with the present’s co-host Claudia Winkleman telling her: “We’re so excited that [you’re] effectively sufficient to be right here.”
The professional has appeared on the BBC collection since 2017.
