Amy Dowden reveals big challenge she faces as Strictly dancer as she discusses early menopause after backstage collapse
AMY Dowden has spoken out about experiencing early menopause as a result of her cancer treatment, and the difficulties it causes on Strictly as a result.
The 34-year-old Welsh dancer, who completed breast cancer treatment earlier this year, left fans scared for her wellbeing after collapsing backstage on Strictly last week.
In a new video, Amy was seen lounging on her sofa in a cuddly jumper with a cup of tea as she opened up on her menopausal symptoms.
Explaining that her type of cancer was hormone fed, Amy admitted having to go into a medically-induced menopause was “one of the biggest shocks” of her treatment.
Since then she has experienced a list of symptoms including hot flushes, struggling to sleep, and low energy – which is particularly troublesome when working on a show like Strictly.
“This was a huge shock. I was in a bit of denial, and I had no idea about the menopause,” she told the camera.
“It’s something I wasn’t worried about, I hadn’t even thought about, and I thought I had years ahead of me before I went into menopause.
“It’s been tough, and the signs and symptoms haven’t been easy.”
When talking about the hardest symptoms to deal with, she said: “For me, the lack of sleep, because of the hot flushes and night sweats and difficulty getting to sleep, especially when, you know, I’ve got a very active job, very physical job, and then you really need to sleep and your body to be able to recover.
“And yeah, menopause doesn’t help at all with this.”
The star said she found solace in speaking to others going through the same thing, and told viewers: “My advice would be to persevere. Obviously, you kind of don’t have any choice, but at the same time, your body does adjust, or even not only that, you adjust.
“I think you start to get used to it and not to be scared, to talk to others, not to feel alone. I think that really helps to speak to others and to get advice on what works for them and to obviously always seek medical advice.”
Amy’s new video came in collaboration with Boots and Macmillan Cancer as part of menopause awareness month.
She wrote in the caption she “hoped to show that you’re not alone and reflecting on my own experience” and added: “If you, or anyone you know, is needing support go to Boots’ Online Health Hub or in store and speak to their Information Pharmacists who can offer free help and advice.”
Amy has previously spoken about her medically-induced menopause, revealing on her BBC documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me, that she had frozen her eggs in the hope that she and husband, dancer Ben Jones, could have children in the future.
She told cameras:”Your eggs, your ovaries, everything can be damaged and not necessarily reboot again.
“Since we got married, the question we’re asked the most is, ‘When are you going to have kids?’ and my body can’t go through that right now.”
“You produce so many hormones when you’re pregnant, I’d be at such a high risk of my cancer returning,” she explained.
“Of course we want children, but we still don’t know. There are so many options, which we’re grateful for.”
When Amy collapsed backstage last week, Lauren Oakley was drafted in to perform with JB Gill to give her time to recover.
JB and Lauren performed a medley to Bruno Mars during Icons Week, and were sent through to next week.
Amy was standing proud alongside her fellow professional dancers, and appeared emotional on screen as her co-stars rallied around her.