'Strictly Come Dancing' pro Amy Dowden has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Strictly pro Amy Dowden diagnosed with breast cancer
The 32-year-old dancer is "determined" to get back onto the dance floor as soon as possible, and is trying to be "positive and strong" amid the diagnosis.
She wrote on her Instagram Stories: "Hey all, I've got some news which isn't easy to share. I've recently been diagnosed with breast cancer but I'm determined to get back on that dance floor before you know it. Welsh love Amy (sic)"
Amy has battled chronic gut condition Crohn's Disease since she was a youngster, and admitted her latest diagnosis is "another hurdle" to overcome.
She told HELLO!: "I've been through quite a lot in my life and this is another hurdle.
"But if I'm positive and strong, I've got a really good chance of getting back out on the dancefloor as soon as possible.
"With what I've done for Crohn’s, I want to do the same here."
Amy - who married fellow pro dancer Ben Jones last July - "didn't think it was possible" to be diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 30s.
She added: "If I can try and turn this negative into a positive, it's going to help me get through this.
"You just don't ever think it's going to happen to you.
"I hadn't thought it was possible to get breast cancer at my age. My mum has had breast cancer, but she had it at a later age, in her 50s."
Amy decided to check her breasts more regularly after she took part in CoppaTrek! with Gi, a 100km fundraising walk led by Giovanna Fletcher in support of breast health awareness charity CoppaFeel!.
She added: "This last year, obviously, I made a conscious effort to check my breasts. CoppaFeel! has now potentially saved my life, because I don't know how long this lump could have been there before I would have noticed and done something about it.
"So me speaking out might end up saving some other people's lives because they start checking their breasts."