Pride of Britain Awards 2023 – London
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has been teaching a couple who brought forward their wedding due to a cancer diagnosis to dance in a BBC series.
The Welsh professional dancer, 33, has previously spoken of how she felt “robbed” of the year she had planned after finding a lump in her breast in April shortly before her honeymoon.
She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023 and had to miss out on being a competitor on Strictly during the latest series.
Caerphilly-born Dowden is returning to the dancefloor to help the public learn routines in the reality show Dare To Dance.
The second season will see a Wrexham FC-obsessed couple, who are getting married, and a cameo from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney, who co-owns the team with Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds.
Across the four-part series, Dowden will also meet a young woman who gave up dancing when she started to lose her sight and lost her confidence, a firefighter who has a secret love of dance, and two friends preparing to dance at a Windrush Day celebration.
Dowden said: “I am so delighted Dare To Dance is back. When I dance, I feel like I can overcome anything.
“It’s something I want more people to experience, I really believe it can change your life.
“I was never going to let my diagnosis get in the way of what I love most and I am thrilled that my wonderful dance family could step in to ensure my wonderful students blew their family and friends away with their performance.”
Helping her will be Strictly professionals Dianne Buswell and Graziano Di Prima along with Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse, a previously Strictly champion.
Nick Andrews, senior head of commissioning, BBC Cymru Wales, said: “It’s terrific to have Dare To Dance back on our screens but grab a hanky, it’s emotional stuff.
“Amy has drawn together an incredible and brave bunch of people as well as some of her showbiz mates.
“This is foot-tappingly watchable telly with oodles of drama. It’s both terrifying and joyful and only the remarkable Amy Dowden could have pulled it off.”
Since announcing her cancer, Dowden has provided updates when she underwent a mastectomy, and fertility treatment.
Her last chemotherapy session was in November.
She was diagnosed with cancer shortly after her honeymoon in the Maldives with husband and fellow dancer Ben Jones.
Dowden told Instagram followers on New Year’s Eve: “I feel I was robbed of the year I had planned and reflecting for me makes me upset and angry but later I’m going to make myself look through my camera roll and remember all the good times, the amazing opportunities I had, family time but also taking time to realise I learnt the most this year.”
Dare To Dance will air on BBC One Wales and BBC iPlayer next month.
Register now for one of the Evening Standard’s newsletters. From a daily news briefing to Homes & Property insights, plus lifestyle, going out, offers and more. For the best stories in your inbox, click here.
News Related
-
Fix water crisis, or else, City warned Durban — Opposition parties in eThekwini have called on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Bongi Sithole to intervene as the City battles the water crisis. IFP councillor Jonathan Annipen said his party was calling for the placing of the City’s Water ...
See Details:
Fix water crisis, or else, City warned
-
Westend61/Getty Images Giving Tuesday is this week. It’s a day when charities ask us to take a break from our holiday shopping and open our wallets to worthy causes. If you’re wondering which organizations to support or how much money to donate, Kevin Scally of Charity Navigator has some advice ...
See Details:
Giving Tuesday: How to donate to a charity with purpose and intention
-
SEOUL – A single street in Seoul is the perfect place to map out a cultural itinerary on your next vacation to South Korea, as Samcheong-ro presents a panoramic view of the capital’s exploding art scene for free, or close to free. Just a 20-minute bus ride from Myeongdong’s shopping ...
See Details:
Visiting South Korea? Get your culture fix in this artsy street in Seoul
-
Traffic advisory issued ahead of PM Modi’s Hyderabad roadshow today Hyderabad Traffic Police issued an advisory for commuters, announcing a series of restrictions and diversions across various parts of the city in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Monday. The advisory specifies that traffic movement will face restrictions ...
See Details:
Traffic advisory issued ahead of PM Modi's Hyderabad roadshow today
-
Dar es Salaam. Amid debate on the possibility of adopting Kiswahili as the medium of instruction in public schools, attention has shifted to mass failure in English language in this year’s Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).Results released last Thursday show that only 34.35 percent of candidates passed the subject with ...
See Details:
How to improve teaching of English in primary schools
-
The process of deep cleaning a small bedroom might sound like a rather simple task, seeing as it’s a small space that you’re working with. But actually, despite the room’s compact size, it can feel rather overwhelming, and knowing where to start can be tricky. The good news is that ...
See Details:
How to deep clean a small bedroom according to experts
-
Puad Zarkashi said what PKR is experiencing now was what Umno faced in the past. PETALING JAYA: PKR can now understand the difficulties that Umno faced governing the country in the past, says Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi Puad cited how a delegate at PKR’s national congress yesterday said ...
See Details:
Now you know how tough being in govt is, Puad tells PKR
-
Is this the ultimate flex? Russian social media influencer Real Blogger Life has posted a video on YouTube showing how they strapped a Rolls-Royce Ghost to the roof of a Hummer H2 SUT and drove it around to get attention. This video comes after another Russian social media influencer drove ...
See Details:
How to make a Hummer even flashier: strap a Rolls-Royce on top
-
-
-
Is this the ultimate flex? Russian social media influencer Real Blogger Life has posted a video on YouTube showing how they strapped a Rolls-Royce Ghost to the roof of a Hummer H2 SUT and drove it around to get attention. This video comes after another Russian social media influencer drove ...
See Details:
How To Watch The 2023 BET Soul Train Awards
-
Is this the ultimate flex? Russian social media influencer Real Blogger Life has posted a video on YouTube showing how they strapped a Rolls-Royce Ghost to the roof of a Hummer H2 SUT and drove it around to get attention. This video comes after another Russian social media influencer drove ...
See Details:
Stimulus Check for Senior Citizens: How to qualify for a $2000 payment?
-
Is this the ultimate flex? Russian social media influencer Real Blogger Life has posted a video on YouTube showing how they strapped a Rolls-Royce Ghost to the roof of a Hummer H2 SUT and drove it around to get attention. This video comes after another Russian social media influencer drove ...
See Details:
How to watch Faraway Downs: stream the Baz Luhrmann miniseries
-
OTHER NEWS
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up prior to an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field At Mile ...
Read more »
Schöne Überraschung Dieser Brief macht Freisinger Kinder „fix und fertig“: König Charles meldet sich bei Drittklässlern Dank für die Glückwünsche: Das königliche Paar schickte ein Einen besonderen Brief verfasste im ...
Read more »
How to recreate the 'Friends' moist maker Thanksgiving sandwich Jessie James Decker shared the Thanksgiving sandwich from her cookbook. ByKelly McCarthy November 24, 2023, 4:01 AM Jessie James Decker has ...
Read more »
, Nov. 26 — Jamdani saree, an emblem of Bangladeshi tradition, symbolises cultural richness and artisanal finesse. Distinguishing a real Jamdani from cheaper replicas necessitates keen attention to intricate details ...
Read more »
Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills warms up before the game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. / ...
Read more »
The Minister for the Presidency, Milly Babalanda, has advised Jinja city leaders to avoid haphazard developments by strictly enforcing physical planning guidelines, so as to sustain the town’s beauty to ...
Read more »
The allotment status of IREDA IPO can be checked online through the official website of BSE. While Tata Technologies IPO remained the more popular choice among subscribers this week, the ...
Read more »