Amy Dowden's twin sister Rebecca feels guilty that she hasn't suffered the health issues her sibling has.
Amy Dowden's twin sister Rebecca feels guilt over health issues
'Strictly Come Dancing' star Amy, 34, suffered with Crohn's disease for years and was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer the day after she came home from her honeymoon with husband Ben Jones in 2023.
Now, Rebecca has admitted she can't understand how Amy has suffered so much while she has been lucky to avoid the health problems her sister has faced.
She told The Sunday Times: "It’s hard being a twin not to feel a sense of guilt. I’ve lived a carefree life. I did all the things you should do as a youngster — going on my first girls’ holiday, going to university, travelling — but because of Crohn’s, Amy never got to do those things.
"When she got her cancer diagnosis last year I would have done anything to take the pain from her. It just doesn’t make sense to me that we shared a womb yet she has been given so much to deal with."
Rebecca works as a midwife but admitted she is careful about what aspects of her job she discusses with Amy because Amy's cancer means she cannot conceive naturally.
She said: "There’s almost nothing we don’t share, but being a midwife I’m careful about how much I talk about my job because I’m conscious that, after cancer treatment, Amy has her fertility journey ahead of her."
Amy previously revealed she underwent fertility treatment to create embryos so she can have children in the future.
Speaking on the 'Big Fish with Spencer Matthews' podcast, she said: "The NHS offer an incredible service, that once anyone is diagnosed with cancer, and especially if they have to go through chemotherapy, they are offered the chance to have their eggs removed, and put in the freezer.
"Sometimes your body doesn't respond, because you're going through cancer. I had a two-week window. And in that two week window, we managed. And so we got embryos. Now we've got five little Amy and Bens."