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Amy Dowden has said she 'can't believe it' after her latest move away from the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom was quickly supported. It was previously announced that the professional dancer, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, had collaborated on a new breast health app, aiming to save lives. My Breast Friend was created by Gemma Ainger, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 42, having rarely checked herself. . She noticed something unusual one day in the shower and was later diagnosed with stage 3 invasive breast cancer, that had already spread to her lymph nodes. The cancer was quite advanced, and because she wasn’t checking regularly, she didn’t find it at an earlier stage. If she had caught it sooner, her treatment could have been easier and her outcome more positive. Gemma has since created My Breast Friend as she wanted others to have that chance to detect their cancer earlier. The app is designed to make monthly self-checks quick, easy, and completely normal, creating positive reinforcement around breast health, and embed a really important routine. Amy has got on board following her own breast cancer journey, having found a lump in her breast before her honeymoon with her then new husband, Ben Jones. It was then on Tuesday (October 21) that Amy spoke about the app on ITV's Lorraine, having been on the show to chat about the Pride of Britain Awards which she had been on the red carpet for the previous evening. Following the show, Amy and Gemma were overwhelmed by the support. Alongside a video of the pair behind-the-scenes at the ITV morning show, the dancer shared: "Nearly 3000 downloaded the app in 10 mins after this morning's interview on @lorraine [face holding back tears emoji]. "Let's keep getting the message out there! It's free to download. Let's gooooooo." It was then later in the evening that Amy revealed that the app had shot up the download charts. Alongside a string of face holding back tears emojis and pink hearts and bows, she wrote: "Can't believe it @my_breast_friend_app." It comes after Amy said of collaborating with Gemma on My Breast Friend: "When Gemma told me about her plans for My Breast Friend, it was exactly what I had been looking for - something simple and positive people can do to remind them to check monthly, know their bodies, and act early. "I immediately wanted to collaborate with her to make the app the best it can be and reach as many people as possible. I know how vital it is that breast cancer is detected early and if you’re not checking your chest then who is? It doesn’t matter how old you are, there’s no reason not to download this app, it could literally save your life."
