Welsh Strictly star reveals she almost quit the show as she joins Channel 4 series

Amelia Jones 

A Welsh Strictly Come Dancing star has revealed she nearly quit the show as she prepares to take on a very different challenge in  Channel 4 series.

Amy Dowden, 35, told The Mirror she reached an “ultimate low” after being forced to pull out of the show in 2024 following an ankle injury.

The dancer had been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous year and underwent treatment before returning to Strictly, only to suffer the injury which ruled her out of the 2024 series.

Dowden said she considered giving up on her dancing career altogether but was encouraged to continue by her husband Ben and fellow Strictly star Carlos Gu.

She has now been announced as one of the celebrities taking part in Celebrity Hunted, where she will team up with Gu as they attempt to evade a team of expert investigators while travelling across the UK.

Speaking about the difficult period in her career, she said: “It was Carlos and Ben, my husband, who gave me that tough love, that motivation to make sure I didn’t.

“If it wasn’t for them, I truly was gonna hang up my dancing shoes.

“It was only then I really knew how low I was in my life.”

The series is being filmed in aid of Stand Up To Cancer and will show Dowden continuing to receive treatment while taking part in the challenge.

The dancer said she was keen to show viewers what life can be like after a cancer diagnosis, with cameras following her as she received chemotherapy injections while on the run.

She said: “It was important to show the reality of cancer.

“Unfortunately, a cancer diagnosis is like a life sentence.”

Dowden said she hoped the series would encourage conversations in people’s homes about the realities of living with and facing up to cancer.

Her experience also had an impact on Gu, who admitted it was “hard” to watch his friend receive treatment while they were taking part in the challenge.

The pair had to cope with a lack of sleep, limited access to good food and the constant pressure of being on the move, while Dowden also had to manage her ongoing treatment.

Gu, who has lost both his grandmother and a cousin to cancer, said he understood some of what Dowden was facing and became one of the people she relied on most during the experience.

He described Dowden as an inspiration, adding that she “gave me the faith that I’m going to do this no matter how hard it is.”

Celebrity Hunted starts on 3 August on Channel 4.

Dowden has also confirmed her return to the Strictly ballroom for the 2026 series with new hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.

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