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Amy Dowden has shared a heartbreaking video of having her head shaved, as she continues her ongoing treatment for cancer.
The Strictly Come Dancing pro, 33, revealed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
Sheâs since undergone a single mastectomy and is now having chemotherapy after doctors sadly found more tumours, which has also forced her out of Strictly 2023, though sheâs teased appearances on the series while the team have assured the door remains open for her.
As she undergoes her treatment, Amy has been sharing updates with her fans about her trips to hospital and her devastating hairloss.
She had previously shared that she wasnât ready to shave her head, but spoke about how âdistraughtâ she was about it.
However, sheâs now bravely shared a clip of the huge step, as sheâs surrounded by her loved ones and has her hair shaved off.
She wrote in the caption: ââThis too shall passâ
âTaking control- The hardest step so far. I tried my best to save it. I know itâs only hair but these past few months Iâve had what feels like so much taken away from me that has made me not feel like Amy.
âIâm missing every possible aspect of dancing. I just wanted to keep my identity with my hair and I tried telling myself it wouldnât go. But I would dread the pain of waking up to the shredding everyday.
âIâve not been able to take control of this journey so far, but as you can see with some of my loved ones I took the courage and CONTROL.
âItâs going to take some time to get use to and learn to love and embrace but, Iâm now focussing-not on the hair Iâm losing but the hair Iâm going to get back and the happy dancing, tea lover who talks way to fast whilst rolling every rrrrr who is still there inside with or without hair!â
Amy added that she can ânow see the finish lineâ, after marking a milestone through her chemotherapy.
She went on: âSince taking control, I feel I can now see the finish line. This for me was a hurdle I couldnât even bring myself to think or speak about.
âIâve done it and Iâve also crossed the half way chemo line! Iâm feeling empowered and positive!
âTo everyone on their own journey, whatever that maybe, Iâm sending love, power, strength and courage.
âI found my courage for this step and Iâm proud (There are some fun before and after vids/reels coming, but I wanted to share the truth and hopefully help others, and bring normality to a beautiful bald head).â
Amy was inundated in support, with one person writing: âSo strong and inspiring Amy! We love you.â
Another wrote: âSending you all the love in the world, beautiful inside and out.â
âBeautiful â youâve got this,â someone else echoed.
This comes after Amy spoke about how sheâs feeling âdistraughtâ over her hair loss, shortly after she attended the National Television Awards.
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In a recent series of clips posted on Instagram, Amy said that her third round of chemo had been the âbest one so farâ, as she had to be rushed to hospital after her first round before it was discovered that she had developed sepsis.
After the second round, Amy suffered from three blood clots, but after the most recent third round, she explained that she âjust had the usual side effects from chemoâ, which included sickness, fatigue, sore mouth ulcers and hair loss.
She previously said: âI canât now leave the house without something on the top of my head because unfortunately, [Iâm] quite bald on top.â
Amy revealed that she had received âso many messagesâ asking how sheâs coping with her hair loss, as she acknowledged that itâs been âreally, really hardâ for her.
She also opened up about how she has cried on multiple occasions about losing her hair, including having what she described as âmeltdownsâ when she would wash her hair once a week.
However, one thing that has helped Amy is having her husband Ben Jones brush her hair for her, so that she doesnât have to physically see the hair thatâs coming out, even though she is still aware of it.
âThat for me is helping me big time because if I took my scarf off, youâll see thereâs hardly any left but itâs okay,â she said, before referencing a video of Tom Hanks speaking during an actorsâ roundtable as she continued: âBecause I keep telling myself like Tom Hanks says this too shall pass.â
Amy went on to explain that since leaving hospital after suffering from blood clots, sheâs stopped brushing her hair herself âbecause I was just getting distraught when Iâd see how much was falling outâ.
âThat has helped me. But this is definitely the hardest part for me personally,â she stated.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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