Amy Dowden is being supported by her husband Ben Jones after revealing she has breast cancer at the age of 32.
The couple wed in July 2022 and waited a year to take their honeymoon but just a day before they jetted to the Maldives, the Strictly Come Dancing star found a lump on her breast.
She announced her breast cancer diagnosis on Instagram in May, writing: ‘Hey all, I’ve got some news which isn’t easy to share. I’ve recently been diagnosed with breast cancer but I’m determined to get back on that dance floor before you know it. Welsh love Amy.’
The dancer has battled gut condition Crohn’s disease since she was a child and said she has already been through ‘quite a lot’ in her life with health struggles.
As she leans on her doting husband for support we take a look at everything you need to know about Ben Jones.
Who is Amy Dowden’s husband Ben Jones? Get to know the Strictly Come Dancing professional’s partner (pictured at their joint stag and hen – sten – do in 2022)
What is Ben Dowden’s job?
Just like Amy, Ben works as a professional dancer but chooses to keep himself away from the spotlight so it’s unlikely he’ll be making a bid to join the Strictly Come Dancing lineup.
Ben started his dancing career at the age of 14 after accompanying his sister to their local dance classes and has gone on to become one of the top Latin dancers in the world.
Among the many titles he was won is British National Closed Finalist, World Open Semi-Finalist, British National Champion in 2016, Vice Professional Latin UK Champion.
Ben and Amy own a West Midlands-based dance academy, Art in Motion, where they train up the next generation of young dancers.
When did Amy Dowden meet Ben Jones?
Amy and Ben first met in 2011 through their work as dancers but kept their romance secret for six years because they were scared about their dance teachers’ reactions.
They went public with their romance shortly before Ben popped the question in 2017 at a New Year’s Eve party surrounded by their friends and loved ones.
While Ben does not have a social media presence, Amy sometimes shares sweet snaps of the pair together on her Instagram page.
Camera shy: Just like Amy, Ben works as a professional dancer but chooses to keep himself away from the spotlight so it’s unlikely he’ll be making a bid to join the Strictly lineup
When did Amy Dowden marry Ben Jones?
Amy finally tied the knot with Ben in July 2022 after two delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The couple exchanged vows in front of their family and friends during a romantic ceremony at a five-star wedding venue in Gower Peninsula, South Wales.
Speaking about her special day, Amy told Hello! magazine: ‘It was a stunning venue. I always knew I wanted to get married in Wales.’
Amy was surrounded by her nearest and dearest – including Dianne Buswell, who served as bridesmaid.
The pair were initially due to wed two years ago on July 25 2020 – before the marriage was postponed due to Covid.
How has Ben Jones been supporting Amy Dowden through her cancer battle?
Amy first discovered a lump in her breast the day before her honeymoon in April 2023 but opted not to tell Ben straight away.
She told Hello! magazine that she felt a lump in her breast while taking a shower but decided to ‘keep an eye on it’ for a few weeks as she wasn’t sure if it would go away on its own.
She confessed: ‘I started to check it less because it was worrying me, and I didn’t want to flare my Crohn’s up. Then, once we were back home, I went to do a [dance] show with Ben and I was putting some shimmer on and the lump felt so much bigger. I just knew I needed to go to the doctors.’
After being referred to the hospital by her GP she recalled: ‘Everything happened so fast within that day. I went on my own and didn’t tell anybody, but when I was there, the nurse said to me: “You need to have somebody here” and that’s when Ben found out.’
Speaking about how Ben has been supporting her through the journey, she revealed: ‘Ben only hears the positive, and then he only talks about the positive side of things.’
Kept quiet: Amy first discovered a lump in her breast the day before her honeymoon in April 2023 but opted not to tell Ben straight away
When was Amy Dowden diagnosed with cancer?
Amy revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in May 2023, telling Hello! Magazine: ‘You just don’t ever think it’s going to happen to you. I hadn’t thought it was possible to get breast cancer at my age. My mum has had breast cancer, but she had it at a later age, in her 50s.’
Amy said it was taking part in the CoppaTrek! walk last June in support of breast health awareness charity CoppaFeel! that led her to discover her own cancer.
She realised that she doesn’t ‘check her breasts’ and then made a conscious effort to check herself, saying CoppaFeel! has ‘potentially saved her life’.
‘I don’t know how long this lump could have been there before I would have noticed and done something about it,’ she added.
Amy said she found a lump in her right breast in April, a day before she and her husband flew to the Maldives for a belated honeymoon after their wedding last July.
The dancer said she was ‘in shock’ and decided to keep an eye on the lump, before going to the doctor when the lump grew on her return home.
She was immediately sent for an emergency referral, where she was told the lump looked ‘suspicious’ and to ‘prepare for the worst’.
After a biopsy, Amy was told she had grade three breast cancer, saying her first question was when she could get back on the dance floor.
Grade three cancer is when the cells look very different to normal breast cells and tend to spread more quickly. The grade describes how a cancer cell looks under a microscope.
It is different to a cancer stage, which describes the size of the cancer and how far it has spread. Amy is yet to find out what stage of cancer she has.
Amy said her cancer has been caught ‘early’ and she is now waiting for more information before she is given a full treatment plan, which will include surgery.
She is waiting for an MRI scan and a biopsy after medics found a second lump in her right breast, and she will be given a full prognosis after that step.
Sad news: Amy revealed in May 2023 that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer aged 32 (pictured before her diagnosis)
