On The Mend

Strictly's Amy Dowden: Recovering from Cancer, Sepsis and a Double Mastectomy

On The Mend

Show Notes

This week’s guest is Amy Dowden, who shares her powerful journey through breast cancer, fertility struggles, and mental health challenges, a story of resilience that’s messy, ongoing, and real.

Amy talks about returning to Strictly Come Dancing just months after chemotherapy, only to realise she was burying her trauma. When health complications forced her off the show, she hit rock bottom, lower than during her cancer treatment, but this became the turning point for true healing.

She opens up about the hidden battles she faced: sepsis, fertility decisions just weeks after marriage, and the cruelty of online trolls. But through it all, Amy found unexpected perspective shifts, learning to live with Crohn’s disease without constant anxiety, and discovering that recovery isn’t solitary, it’s built on community and connection.

Amy chose to share her journey publicly, not as a perfect survivor, but as someone still figuring it out. This episode is about falling apart, hitting rock bottom, and slowly finding your way forward through small wins, honesty, and refusing to face it alone.

This episode covers the following themes: cancer, recovery, vulnerability, and strength.

Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu are heading on tour as part of 'Amy and Carlos Reborn' later this year. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.amyandcarlostour.co.uk/

Get Amy's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancing-Rain-story-courage-resilience/dp/0349442045

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randoxhealth_au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from On The Mend

Oct 19, 2026

TV presenter and grief advocate Jeff Brazier knows that grief doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.

Oct 12, 2026

Nikki Lilly has spent much of her life navigating chronic illness, hospital stays and a body that has often felt unfamiliar to her.

Oct 5, 2026

For Matt Willis, addiction was never the real problem. It was the solution to a pain he didn't know how to deal with.

Sep 28, 2026

Matt Willis sits down with Professor David Nutt, one of the world's leading experts on drugs and the brain, to answer a question so many people carry in silence: why can't I just stop?

Sep 21, 2026

Musician and internet personality Window Kid, aka Greg, built a career around being the life of the party, until drinking nearly cost him his life.

See all episodes →