Amy Dowden issues heartbreaking plea to fans as BBC Strictly star shares close friend's cancer news

Ms Dowden made the plea in a video shared to her Instagram Stories, explaining that her friend Carrie is someone she knew from school before her dancing career began.

She said: “Carrie, I went to year seven school with, before I moved schools, before dancing. My twin sister stayed right through secondary school with her.”

Ms Dowden went on to praise her friend’s character, adding that Carrie would “always message my sister to check in”.

The dancing star added: “Unfortunately, her cancer has come back and it’s stage four. She has two beautiful young boys and she has set up a GoFundMe page as she wants to get a bit more time with her boys."

Ms Dowden explained that her friend is facing costly surgery and appealed for donations.

“Her surgery is going to cost a lot of money. If anyone can help or give a little bit of a donation, that would honestly mean the world to Carrie and her family. From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” she said.

The dancer, who announced in November that she had withdrawn from the 2025 series of BBC Strictly Come Dancing to undergo a second mastectomy, also used the moment to encourage people to be vigilant about their health.

She said: “I think this is a reminder as well that cancer does not discriminate, and to check yourselves. If you feel different, or something’s not right with your body, you know your body better than anybody else, so please get it checked out."

Ms Dowden went on to explain that Carrie had previously battled bowel cancer following colitis, undergoing chemotherapy and living with a stoma bag.

The Strictly professional added: “She had brilliant scans showing no evidence of disease, but unfortunately, it has come back. It’s not curable, it’s stage four, but if you can help her and her gorgeous family, please, please do."

Ms Dowden has been open about her own breast cancer journey since revealing her diagnosis in May 2023.

She discovered a lump in her breast in April 2023, just one day before leaving for her honeymoon in the Maldives with her husband, Mr Jones.

After returning to the UK, she was diagnosed with stage three aggressive breast cancer at the age of 32 and initially underwent a single mastectomy.

Doctors later found further tumours and a second type of cancer, leading to more aggressive treatment, including eight rounds of chemotherapy, which she previously described as “brutal”.

Ms Dowden also suffered severe side effects, including hair loss and a life-threatening episode of sepsis that required hospital treatment.

In February 2024, she announced that tests showed “no evidence of disease”, though she remains under medical supervision and receives monthly injections as part of her ongoing treatment.

She made an emotional return to Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, partnered with JB Gill, but later withdrew due to a foot injury.

In November 2025, Ms Dowden underwent a second mastectomy as a preventative measure, clarifying that it was not the result of a new cancer diagnosis.

Ms Dowden has since used her platform to raise awareness around breast cancer and Crohn’s disease, which she has lived with since childhood, including through the BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me.

She also works closely with the charity CoppaFeel! to encourage young people to check themselves regularly, crediting a charity walk with prompting her to check her own breasts.