Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has opened up about her fertility following cancer treatment, saying she "would love a family."
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, Dowden underwent treatment that included a mastectomy and chemotherapy. In February 2024 the Strictly pro revealed that doctors had told her there was "no evidence of disease" and she was able to return to the dancefloor.
Before undergoing chemotherapy, Dowden was told by doctors that the treatment would put her into early menopause, so she chose to undergo an egg retrieval procedure that would give her and her husband Ben Jones the chance to have children in the future.
Related: Strictly's Amy Dowden shares poignant message on anniversary of cancer journey
Talking to Lorraine Kelly and her daughter Rosie Smith on their What If? podcast, Dowden explained that she and Ben would like to try for a child in the next few years.
"We would love a family, and we’ve got embryos, because, obviously, I’ve got a hormone-fed cancer, so I was put into menopause, which happened the day I started chemo,” Dowden said.
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She continued: "So, in a couple of years, when they feel it’s safe, hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity. And if not, there’s still lots of other opportunities, which we have spoken about."
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"Hopefully in years to come we’ll be lucky enough to become parents, too, but [we’re] taking every day as it comes."
Dowden has previously opened up about undergoing fertility treatment in the BBC film Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which was released last year.
In the documentary, which followed Amy's egg retrieval procedure, Amy was eventually told that doctors had managed to freeze five embryos.
Speaking of the moment they found out the procedure had been a success, Ben said: "That was an absolutely amazing moment, and it was just a bit of sunlight in a dark place."
"The relief was just immense," Amy added. "I needed to have a shot at something no matter what at that time. I just needed that little bit of hope."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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If you would like more information or support about living with cancer or treatment, please click here for guidance from Macmillan Cancer Support, or click here to learn more from Stand Up to Cancer.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
