Amy Dowden has explained that her return to Strictly Come Dancing was called into question after another bout of cancer.

The 34-year-old professional dancer, who was diagnosed with cancer twice last year, was readmitted to hospital for further tests after doctors discovered abnormalities in her breast after an examination.

She said she was “devastated” and had spent sleepless nights waiting for the news.

But when Amy got the all-clear from her consultant, she told him, “We don’t have much good news, so thank you.”

Her recent health problems were recorded by BBC cameras Strictly Amy: Cancer and mewhich documented her journey from initial diagnosis to her return to Strictly this autumn.

“It was a horror, such a disturbing time,” Amy said.

“I will never forget when they called me and said they were sorry but they had seen something we didn’t like.

She had just danced in front of an audience for the first time in a year when the results of her annual MRI and mammogram put her “on hold” again.

Tests revealed extensive calcium deposits in one of her breasts and doctors feared that this could be the “precursor to invasive breast cancer.”

“We are once again so devastated for Amy,” her father Richard said in the documentary.

“This is another blow,” he added. “It’s been very stressful for us. I just wish I could give her everything.”

Amy, from Caerphilly, said in the documentary that the latest scare had left her “terrified” and brought back “all the memories” of what she had been through the previous year.

“It was devastating, I felt sick to my core and had so many sleepless nights of worry,” she added.

But further tests revealed that the abnormalities were harmless changes, and she admitted she was “so relieved it was unbelievable.”

The all-clear allows Amy to now concentrate fully on her return to Strictly, the BBC’s flagship Saturday night show, which hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in the last few months.

Two of Strictly’s professional dancers – Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima – left the show after allegations were made about their behaviour.

Pernice denied any wrongdoing, while Di Prima’s spokesman confirmed that the star once kicked his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year.

But Amy, who joined Strictly in 2017, said returning to the famous dancefloor was one of the biggest motivations for overcoming her cancer battle.

“I’m a real family person. I wouldn’t have been so excited to come out of cancer and get back on Strictly if it wasn’t a show that is pure love, joy and happiness,” she said.

“For me it is the place of happiness. My heart is so happy to be back here.

“The support I got from the show last year was incredible. The producers called me every week to make me feel like part of the team because they knew I needed that.

“And when I was on the oncology ward last year, everyone was talking about Strictly – the nation loves it and it gives people something to look forward to. I was so proud to be part of this show.”

Amy said Strictly saved her life because a breast cancer charity walk with Giovanna Fletcher, the wife of her dance partner, McFly singer Tom Fletcher, in 2021 prompted her to examine her own breasts.

“Being back on the dance floor is going to be super magical. It’s the best show in the world and I pinch myself every day for being a part of it.”