Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed she has been secretly battling with Crohns disease.
The 27-year-old, who has lived with the condition since she was a child, has finally come clean about her diagnosis in a bid to use her experience to help others, admitting she kept it a secret because she “didnt want to be known as Amy with Crohns.”
“I wanted to establish myself as Amy the dancer first,” she told Hello! magazine. “But Ive done two seasons on the show now, and I think its important to speak out.
“It will be a relief that people will finally know, but I dont want any sympathy. It doesnt define me, its just part of me, and I want this to be a positive story.”
The news will come as a shock to most of her Strictly family, as Amy admits only a handful of her co-stars knew about her illness, including Oti Mabuse and Dianne Buswell.
“I didnt want any sympathy, but theres been days when Ive not been myself and returned home from rehearsals and been really unwell,” said Amy, who is now working with Crohns and Colitis UK.
“People are often shocked by my day-to-day, but for me its just normal.”
She added, “There are occasions when Im on tour, like the other week on Here Come The Girls, when Im being siRead More – Source
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