Strictly star Amy Dowden – whose new documentary airs tonight (Monday, August 26) – has been married to fellow pro dancer Ben since 2022. Together, they run a dance school in the West Midlands.
From their secret romance to a dream wedding, and “tough times” amid her cancer battle, here’s an inside look at their romance.
Strictly star Amy Dowden and husband Ben’s secret romance
Strictly star Amy and Ben have been together for 13 years, having met in 2011.
The couple – who are both professional dancers – met through their profession. However, they kept their relationship a secret for six years over fears of what their dance teachers would say.
Speaking on the Crisis, What Crisis podcast, Amy revealed how she and Ben first met.
“We used to be each other’s dance rivals, so we used to compete against each other,” she said.
“One would win one and one win the other, and then our coaches thought we would be better together. And so we had a try, what we call in the dance industry a tryout, and we just instantly clicked, and we decided to start off this dancing journey together, and then we soon fell in love.”
In 2017, they went public with their romance when Ben popped the question at a New Year’s Eve party.
However, their wait for their big day took a little longer than anticipated thanks to Covid. They were meant to get married in July 2020, but were forced to wait a further two years before tying the knot.
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Strictly star Amy Dowden and husband Ben’s ‘dream wedding’
The happy couple finally tied the knot in July 2022 at a five-star wedding venue in the Gower Peninsula, South Wales.
Speaking to Hello! magazine at the time, Caerphilly-born Amy gushed: “I always knew I wanted to get married in Wales.”
“It was a day I’d dreamt of since I was a little girl and, well, it was even more than that. Everything was perfect – from the flowers to the food to partying all night long,” she then went on to say.
“I felt like a Disney princess.”
There were plenty of famous faces at the wedding, including Amy’s Strictly celeb partner Tom Fletcher and Janette Manrara.
Amy’s fellow pro dancer, Dianne Buswell, was also one of the bridesmaids.
Cancer diagnosis and ‘tough times’
Almost a year on from their wedding, Amy and Ben jetted off to the Maldives for their belated honeymoon.
However, the day before they flew, Amy found a lump in her right breast – something Amy didn’t share with Ben because she didn’t want to ruin the trip. She was later told that she had grade 3 breast cancer.
Speaking on the Crisis, What Crisis? podcast earlier this year, Amy opened up on the impact her cancer battle had on her and Ben.
During the interview, she revealed that Ben had been “Mr Positive” throughout her battle – and had given her some “tough love” when she needed it at times too.
“My husband would find me crying most nights, and would have to come and chat to me and hug me and then give me some tough love,” she said.
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‘Forever grateful for you’
Last month, Amy paid tribute to her husband in a heartwarming Instagram post celebrating their anniversary.
“Happy 2nd anniversary! I think it’s fair to say we’ve been through quite a bit during married life. But I’m forever grateful for you! Thank you for this past year! I know at times it’s been so tough for you to watch but you kept positive, kept the house clean away from infections and tried to keep me as positive as possible,” she wrote.
“I love you even more! Let’s hope for a smoother year ahead! But what I do know is we have each other! More adventures, my crazy last min plans, house renovations, dance school fun and basically just us being us! Love you always xxx your Amy xxx.”
Read more: Strictly star Amy Dowden weighs in on Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima scandal
Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me airs tonight (Monday, August 26) at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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