Amy Dowden speaks for the first time about enduring agonising rehab ahead of her Strictly return

The nonrecreational dancer had to combat her mode backmost to fittingness and says she is "still connected that road"

Amy Dowden has opened up astir her combat backmost to wellness aft battling cancer, admitting her rehab was "a batch harder than she imagined." The Strictly professional dancer, 34, who was diagnosed with signifier 3 bosom crab successful May past year, was welcomed backmost to Strictly with unfastened arms this twelvemonth aft being fixed the each wide successful February. But she admitted the roadworthy backmost to fittingness has not been an casual one, and says she has had to larn to not comparison herself to the Amy she was before.

Amy, who was awarded an MBE successful June, told the Mirror's Invite Only podcast: "It has been truthful beauteous to beryllium back. I'm making the astir of each week of rehearsals, each camera block, each formal run. I'm the 1 connected signifier shouting out: 'Happy formal tally everyone' connected a Friday. It's the champion feeling, I americium ace grateful to beryllium backmost and what a beauteous spouse to beryllium backmost with."

Asked astir her recovery, she went on: "I worked truly really hard connected my rehab, it was a batch harder than I imagined not gonna lie. The past respective months of getting my assemblage back... I'm inactive connected that road, I guess. But I'm grateful for my assemblage getting done it, and I effort not to comparison myself to Amy before, due to the fact that I'm a caller Amy now."

Amy's instrumentality to the ballroom was celebrated with a peculiar pro dancer regular which she led successful a agleam pinkish dress. And speaking successful the country wherever the formed rehearsed the choreography, she said: "It was truly special. The accumulation squad came to ticker america astatine the extremity of the rehearsals, and astatine the extremity I conscionable burst into tears. It was conscionable truthful lovely, and beauteous to creation with Aljaz (Skorjanec) excessively with him being back. On the night, my husband, my parents and my duplicate sister each came to watch, and it was the archetypal clip they had seen maine creation since my crab diagnosis. It was a truly peculiar moment, everyone was successful floods of tears."

Listen to Amy's afloat interrogation astatine www.podfollow.com/inviteonly

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