Amy Dowden MBE

Amy Dowden MBE is a Welsh professional ballroom and Latin dancer, best known for being on Strictly Come Dancing from 2017. Her show highlights include making the final of the 17th series in 2019 with TV presenter Karim Zeroual.

She still remains one of the highest-ranking Ballroom and Latin American professional dancers in the UK.

As well as her dancing, Amy is a passionate and vocal advocate for health concerns. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease as a child, and then in 2023 she announced she had been diagnosed with Grade III Breast Cancer, forcing her to miss out on that year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing.

She candidly shared her experience with breast cancer and her treatment with her 760,000+ social media followers, becoming a kind of spokesperson for the reality of going through such an ordeal.

Amy was appointed an MBE in the 2024 Birthday Honours List for her services to fundraising and raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease.

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Type Of Speaker

Cancer Awareness Entertainment Female Speakers Health & Wellbeing Hidden Disabilities Keynote Media Presenters Speaker Women's Health

More About Amy Dowden MBE

Amy Dowden | Dancing

Like most professional dancers, Amy Dowden MBE started when she was just eight years old, but it wasn’t until she had finished her A-Levels that she committed to it full-time. Even though her bad health would put many obstacles in her way, Amy was still determined to succeed in the world of dance.

In 2016, she achieved her dream of becoming the British National Latin Dance Champion alongside her husband and dance partner Ben Jones. They were the first British pair to win the title in over three decades. She would also go on to be the English Closed Champion, the British Dance Federation Champion, and the Welsh Closed, and Open Champion. She is also a World Championship semi-finalist and four-time British National Finalist.

She also holds the Guinness World Record for the most back-Charleston kick steps in 30 seconds, a record she achieved in 2022.

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Amy Dowden | Strictly Come Dancing

She was invited to join Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 – the first Welsh pro they’ve ever had – and has since had eight celebrity partners, including:

– Brian Conley (placed 12th)
– Danny John-Jules (placed 9th)
– Karim Zeroual (placed 2nd)
– JJ Chalmers (placed 6th)
– Tom Fletcher (placed 7th)
– James Bye (placed 11th)
– JB Gill (Amy had to withdraw from the series due to illness, so Lauren Oakley replaced her and together they got to the final)
– Thomas Skinner (first eliminated)

When not performing on Strictly, Amy takes her own dance shows on tour, often alongside other Strictly professionals. In 2019 she headlined ‘Here Come the Girls’ with fellow dancers Dianne Buswell and Chloe Hewitt, and went on tour with dancer Carlos Gu in ‘Reborn’ in 2025. She is also a regular face on the official Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour.

Amy combines her performing career with her teaching career; alongside her husband Ben, she runs the Art In Motion Dance Academy in the West Midlands, and often works with children with special needs and learning difficulties.

Amy Dowden | Health

As well as her dancing, Amy has become a passionate and vocal speaker about health issues, particularly inflammatory bowel disease.

In 2019 she announced she had been suffering from Crohn’s disease for most of her life as part of the ‘It Takes Guts’ campaign run by Chron’s & Colitis UK. For her work, she was given the Raising Awareness Award at the 2019 Hello Magazine Star Women Awards, and a Points of Light Award in 2023 from the Prime Minister. Then in 2020, she broadcast the documentary Strictly Amy: Crohn’s & Me.

If this wasn’t enough, sadly Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, undergoing three months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy. Once again, she partnered with a charity – in this case, CoppaFeel! – to raise awareness of breast cancer treatment. She also released another documentary titled Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me (2024).

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Amy Dowden | Media

Amy is one of the most popular professional dancers on TV, and that has made her a very popular guest on some much-loved programmes, including Loose Women (2023-24), Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (2023), CBeebies Bedtime Story (2023), Amy Dowden’s Dare to Dance (2023), The Weakest Link (2022), The Hit List (2022), Lorraine (2018-21), and The One Show (2017-21).

Amy Dowden | Corporate

Amy’s resilience to overcome her physical battles in order to achieve her dreams is a true inspiration, and makes her a very popular speaker at corporate events. She uses her own experiences – from winning the top dance awards to going through gruelling cancer treatment – to help inspire and motivate others.