In a heartwarming story, Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has revealed how dancing helped her through the challenges of cancer treatment. The 35-year-old, who was diagnosed with grade three breast cancer in 2023, has spoken about the profound impact of even the smallest dance moves on her physical and mental wellbeing.
Dowden, who hails from Caerphilly, Wales, joined a dance class for over-60s in Swansea aimed at improving strength and balance to reduce the risk of falls. She stressed the benefits of dancing “no matter what age” for improving flexibility, strength and confidence.
“When I was going through chemotherapy, if I could just do a little cha-cha in my lounge or get my body moving, it just made me feel so much better,” Dowden said. “If it wasn’t for dancing, I’m not sure I would have got back as fit and healthy as I am now.”
The Strictly star, who has also lived with Crohn’s disease from a young age, believes “not enough” is done to promote the benefits of dance. “For me, dancing has got me through the toughest of times and even when I couldn’t dance, even being able to watch it made me feel so much better as well,” she added.
Dowden’s inspiring story comes as a new report by the Arts Council of Wales found that participation in arts programmes designed to improve physical health and wellbeing could save the Welsh NHS £26 million a year. The research also suggested that a national dance programme could save the NHS in Wales £5 million annually.
Sylvie Evans, 69, who has been recovering from a knee injury, attested to the benefits of joining a weekly dance group. “I’ve had physio for a year and obviously doing the dancing as well – I think I’ll hopefully avoid an operation now, so that’ll probably save the NHS thousands,” she said.
Judith Lombardo, who is partially sighted and has poor balance, said the inclusive over-60s dance class has made her “more sturdy” on her feet. “Nobody judges you and everybody is so friendly. Even my [guide] dog loves it here,” she added.
The Welsh government has pledged to increase its spend for the broader culture sector by 8.5% this year and triple investment in venues and sites compared to a decade ago. With the powerful evidence of the arts’ impact on health and wellbeing, the future looks bright for dance and other creative pursuits to play a vital role in supporting communities across Wales.