Amy Dowden, the star of Strictly Come Dancing, acknowledged today that she was shocked when she received a letter from King Charles and Queen Camilla inviting her to Buckingham Palace. The much-loved professional dancer, 34, is returning to London after conducting admirable campaign to raise awareness of the condition.
Amy tagged the post with a number of shocked, hearty, and tearful emojis as she made her way to the palace while taking a picture of her special invitation today. The King’s invitation read, “The Master of the Household is commanded by their Majesties to invite Ms. Amy Dowden to a Reception to be recognized by community-based cancer support at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 6pm.”
In May of 2023, the talented dancer was diagnosed with grade three aggressive breast cancer. When Amy discovered a lump in her breast while on her honeymoon with her husband, Ben Jones, she was on her honeymoon.
Despite her heartbreaking diagnosis and numerous setbacks, she remained optimistic and regularly updated her followers, telling them to be “there with them.”
Amy’s first and second chemotherapy cycles both caused emergency hospital stays and potentially fatal complications, including blood clots and sepsis.
She had a mastectomy later that day, but she was unable to compete in the 2023 Strictly season.
She was diagnosed with “another type of cancer” in July 2023, and she started chemotherapy in August. The Strictly star described the news from doctors as “words I dreamed of” and her “biggest accomplishment yet” in February of last year when she revealed that her most recent health check revealed no signs of illness.
Much to Amy’s heartfelt regret, she returned to Strictly last year with JLS star JB Gill, who had a foot injury, to the BBC, where she was filmed documenting the reality of living with breast cancer.
In an Instagram post shortly after the announcement, she wrote, “Over the past few months, I finally felt like me again.” When I woke up, I no longer had to think about cancer first. What we needed to work on was choreography, music choices, and which dances were done in what order. I regained my freedom.
Since hearing the words “You have cancer,” I’ve been trying to get back on the Strictly dancefloor. I devoted my 2024 to getting back, which we did with my incredible team, because it has been such a challenge. Something I wanted to do for my loved ones and myself.
Amy has also received an MBE for “the lives of those who live with the incurable inflammatory bowel disease” on behalf of “the people who live with the disease.”
Although the dancer is well known for her upbeat demeanor and stunning dance moves while competing on the dance floor, her admirable candor has enriched her relationship with her family and friends.
In the King’s Birthday Honours, she was elected as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of her contributions to raising awareness and raising money for the charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK.
This story, do you like? Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads for more latest news and gossip.
