Amy Dowden credits Gu with stopping her quitting dance
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- Amy Dowden was ready to "hang up her dancing shoes" after being forced to quit Strictly Come Dancing in 2024 due to breast cancer treatment — chemotherapy and a mastectomy following a diagnosis three years ago.
- Carlos Gu, her best friend and fellow Strictly professional, delivered "tough love" and motivation alongside Dowden's husband Ben Jones to keep her dancing.
- Dowden has since confirmed her return to the Strictly ballroom for the 2026 series.
- On Channel 4's Celebrity Hunted (starting 3 August), Dowden allowed cameras to film her receiving chemotherapy injections while on the run from an elite team of hunters, in aid of Stand Up To Cancer.
- Gu, who lost his grandmother and cousin to cancer, called Dowden "an inspiration," saying she "gave me the faith that I'm going to do this no matter how hard it is."
Why it matters: Dowden filmed chemotherapy injections on Channel 4's Celebrity Hunted to 'show the reality of cancer' and start conversations at home about post-diagnosis life. With the 2026 Strictly series confirmed, her prime-time comeback puts post-treatment recovery into the BBC's flagship entertainment slot — a visible counter-narrative to the "life sentence" she says a cancer diagnosis can feel like.
