By Meghna Amin

Copyright dailystar

Amy Dowden is making her eagerly anticipated comeback to Strictly Come Dancing when the cherished competition returns to our screens with a fresh series tomorrow evening, Saturday 20 September. Viewers will find out which celebrity the Welsh dancer and television personality has been matched with, as this year’s lineup features the likes of Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, Gladiators’ Harry Aikines-Aryeetey , controversial Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, Neighbours’ Stefan Dennis and Lorraine star Ross King . Amy will grace the ballroom once more alongside defending champion Dianne Buswell and beloved Strictly favourites including Vito Coppola and Nikita Kuzmin, although Gorka Marquez has previously confirmed he won’t be partnered with a celebrity this series. Her return comes after a heartbreaking cancer fight which she courageously shared publicly, and having to pull out midway through last year’s competition due to injury. In May 2023, at the age of 32, Amy disclosed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering a lump before her honeymoon with newly-wed husband Ben Jones, reports Wales Online . “I’m determined to get back on that dance floor before you know it,” she declared at the time. Over the following months, Amy bravely shared her journey with followers, giving updates from hospital and through cancer treatment as she shaved her head in a tearful clip, supported by friends and family, and underwent chemotherapy. Throughout her ordeal, she disclosed that following a single mastectomy, medics tragically discovered additional tumours and she became “extremely sick”. In October that year, she recounted enduring a frightening brush with death after going into septic shock, requiring urgent admission to intensive care. Fortunately, in February 2024 Amy revealed that she had “no evidence of disease” following her breast cancer treatment, with her documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, chronicling her health struggle and fertility journey as a result of the treatment, broadcasting in August. She jubilantly shared at the time: “No evidence of disease! Words I dreamed of! My biggest accomplishment yet! “I won’t be getting the all-clear for 5 years especially with a hormone fed cancer. But it was all worth it. Words I never thought I’d hear at one point. “So grateful for all the care I received and continue to have. To my family and friends who supported me unconditionally and to you guys! Thank you!” After a few special guest appearances on the season of Strictly that she was forced to miss, Amy marked her return to the ballroom last year, and was paired with JB Gill. However, just weeks into the show, she was forced to withdraw, and replaced by Lauren Oakley. She was taken to hospital in October and had to pull out over a foot injury as she focused on her recovery. Now, Amy is returning to Strictly, saying she’s worked on herself mentally and physically. During an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine earlier this month, she shared: “I’m really proud of how far I’ve come. Two years ago, I look back now and again and my mouth was covered in ulcers, my hair was falling out, I was quite weak. “I was gutted not to be able to take part in Strictly and to see how far I’ve come since then.” Revealing how she feels going back to the ballroom after being forced to drop out last year, she continued: “Strictly was that goal after I heard, ‘sorry Amy, it’s cancer,’ it was ‘Get me back on the dancefloor’, and then I got back and had to pull out. “I’ve worked on my strength and fitness, worked on myself mentally and physically because cancer diagnoses are tough, and I don’t think there’s enough out there about the reality of after the diagnosis and how long it takes to recover.” Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday at 6.40pm.