Amy Dowden decided to ‘brave the bald’ just moments before surprise Strictly appearance amid cancer treatment

Dowden credited her ‘Strictly’ cast with giving her the ‘courage’ to ‘decide last minute to step out and brave the bald’

Amy Dowden has revealed that she decided to ditch her wig and “brave the bald” just moments before her surprise appearance on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night (7 October).

The professional dancer, 33, who first joined the cast of Strictly in 2017, was forced to pull out of the competition earlier this year after she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and started receiving chemotherapy treatment.

But on Saturday night, Dowden surprised Strictly viewers when she arrived in a sparkly gown and read out the terms and conditions for the public voting.

Introducing Dowden, host Claudia Winkleman said, “We’re so excited that she’s well enough to be here,” before Dowden emerged from behind a gold curtain.

As the professional dancer read out the terms and conditions, an emotional Strictly 2023 cast clapped and cheered her on, chanting “Amy! Amy! Amy!”

Fans quickly praised the professional dancer for appearing on the show without a wig, with many calling her the “real winner” of the dancing competition.

“Amy Dowden choosing not to wear a wig on Strictly tonight has just shown every little girl going through chemo that bald is beautiful. What a role model,” wrote one fan on Twitter/X.

“The winner of this year’s Strictly is Amy Dowden. Brave, inspirational and a beacon of loveliness. You’ve got this Amy,” added another viewer.

Amy Dowden being cheered on by the cast of ‘Strictly’ 2023 after she made a surprise appearance amid her cancer treatment (BBC)

Reflecting on her emotional return to the dancing show, Dowden wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday morning (8 October) that the decision to ditch her long blonde wig and show her bald head was a last-minute choice.

Dowden credited the support of her Strictly cast for giving her the “courage” to “decide last minute to step out and brave the bald”.

“[This is] why I use my platform to raise awareness and hopefully give others confidence #baldisbeautful,” she wrote of the positive messages she had received overnight from her fans.

Amy Dowden and fellow ‘Strictly’ professional Diane Buswell (Instagram via @amy_dowden)

“Not saying it was easy and I still miss my long hair dearly but gosh did it feel liberating and it’s breast cancer awareness month which gave me that extra push to do it.”

“Can’t wait to be back there with the Strictly family again soon.”

On Saturday’s show, Winkleman told Dowden that the cast had been missing their Strictly colleague in her absence from the show, before Dowden revealed that she is halfway through her treatment.

“I can’t wait to be back with you all permanently,” Dowden told her dancing colleagues.

Amy Dowden joined the cast of‘Strictly’ in 2017 (BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Last month, Dowden told fans that the “the hardest step” of her cancer journey was making the decision to “take control” and shave her head.

In a montage shared on Instagram, Dowden was shown dabbing at her eyes while her “loved ones” cut off chunks of her hair down to a short, cropped style.

The remaining hair was then shaved off, with the Strictly star growing more emotional and pausing to cover her face with her hands. However, she was in the end shown admiring the end results in the mirror.

“This too shall pass,” Dowden wrote, before describing the haircut as “the hardest step so far”.

“I tried my best to save it. I know it’s only hair but these past few months I’ve had what feels like so much taken away from me that has made me not feel like Amy. I’m missing every possible aspect of dancing. I just wanted to keep my identity with my hair and I tried telling myself it wouldn’t go. But I would dread the pain of waking up to the shredding every day.”