Strictly’s Amy Dowden in tearful Tom Fletcher relationship insight after he ‘saved my life’
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed how her close bond with former partner Tom Fletcher not only brought them to tears on the dance floor, but ultimately helped save her life
Daniel Windham Assistant Editor
16:00, 06 Dec 2025
Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden on Strictly’s It Takes Two(Image: BBC)
Amy Dowden has offered an emotional insight into her close bond with former celebrity partner Tom Fletcher, revealing how the pair “sobbed and sobbed for days” during their time together on Strictly Come Dancing.
The professional dancer, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, reflected on their partnership during a chat with former Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews on his Big Fish podcast last year.
Amy and Tom were paired together during the 2021 series, quickly becoming fan favourites thanks to their enthusiastic routines and the genuine friendship that blossomed between them.
The pair were eliminated during Musicals Week in 2021, following a dance-off with Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu. However, Amy told Spencer that their experience on the show was defined not by scores or competition standings, but by the joy they found in the process.
Reflecting on her career, she admitted the intensity of Strictly makes every moment count. “A dancer’s career is a bit like a footballer’s career, isn’t it? It’s short, it’s short-term left, really, and you always want to make the most of every opportunity,” she said. “And genuinely, I can only say, from my experience with all my celebs, I’m having the best time.”
Amy Dowden and Tom Fletcher(Image: BBC )
Her bond with Tom was particularly special. Amy recalled how emotionally overwhelming it was when their Strictly journey came to an end. “Me, Tom Fletcher, like sobbed and sobbed, and sobbed for days,” she said. “It was the same series as Adam Peaty in, and I reckon we sobbed that much that we could have had a swimming pool for Adam to go swimming in.”
Their tears, she stressed, had nothing to do with losing or missing out on a trophy. “It wasn’t about winning. We were just absolutely loving it,” she said. After their final appearance on It Takes Two, the pair went to a restaurant to mark the end of their experience. “We just sat there and cried,” Amy remembered.
“Everyone was probably looking at us going, ‘Everything okay?’ But we were just… we were just gutted, you know? We just enjoyed going to the studio every single day.”
The 35-year-old professional dancer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 after discovering a lump shortly before her and her husband Ben Jones’ honeymoon. Amy underwent a single mastectomy and chemotherapy treatment at the time, before revealing last month that she was soon due to undergo a second mastectomy.
Strictly’s Amy Dowden with Tom and Giovanna Fletcher(Image: Amy Dowden / Instagram)
During an episode of It Takes Two in November, Amy revealed her connection with Tom extended far beyond their time dancing together. In a deeply moving revelation, Amy went on to reveal that the partnership ultimately saved her life due to charity work he was taking part in.
“Tom and Giovanna worked very closely with breast cancer charities and that is what led to me finding my tumour and being diagnosed with cancer,” she said. “Without Tom, I wouldn’t be here now.”
