Amy Dowden opens up about the ‘guilt' of feeling ‘angry and bitter' after ringing bell to end cancer treatment
The Strictly star was speaking at an event to launch the Keep Ahead disease awareness campaign. It 'aims to raise awareness of the life after breast cancer' or 'beyond the bell', according to a release from Novartis, who are behind the initiative.
'I was a bit naïve and in denial as, once I rang the bell, I honestly thought that that's it,' Amy explained. 'I had my life back, but I didn't really anticipate or understand that I had a very long journey of recovery, both physically and mentally to get back to where I was before.'
While Amy was going through her treatment, she said she felt like she was working towards a solution, a purpose which, when it ended, she no longer had: 'You're actively doing something. Then all of a sudden, you face a reality of trying to rebuild a new version of you.'
Instead, when her treatment finished, Amy said she found herself at an 'all time low' and 'was very emotional. I was scared, petrified and thought 'what if I haven't done enough.' She admitted she experienced 'guilt' for feeling that way.
The physical consequences of Amy's treatment and cancer journey meant a long road to recovery. 'I'd had blood clots. I'd had sepsis. I'd broken a bone during chemo," Amy revealed. 'My stamina levels were the lowest they've ever been in my life [and] having to start again - that journey to the dance floor - felt like a million miles away.'
However, where Amy is today is a far cry from those first few weeks, following a UK dance tour this year with fellow Strictly star Carlos Gu and filming as a contestant on Celebrity Hunted.
'I took time to really work on myself and to process everything to really get as fit as I possibly could for the gym, physio and dancing,' Amy said. 'I feel like Amy's back, but actually a newer, stronger version of me and I'm really grateful to be in this position. It's been a long road of recovery.'
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The atherosclerotic plaque is mainly composed of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) that accumulates over time13. Cumulative exposure to LDL-C can increase one's risk of cardiovascular events such as a heart attack or stroke12,13. About Novartis in Cardiovascular DiseaseAt Novartis, our mission is to ensure no heart is lost too soon. We envision a world where preventable CV deaths are no longer part of our lives. We're proud of the positive impact we've made over the past 40 years and remain dedicated to tackling the most challenging problems in CVD. Through cutting-edge science and technology, we are focusing on areas of high unmet need, including scaling our xRNA platform across multiple risk factors and pioneering breakthroughs for genetically driven CVD risk factors and common heart conditions, including atrial fibrillation. We also work with patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations around the world to improve CV care beyond medicine alone. Together, we can help people with CVD enjoy longer, healthier lives and more time with their loved ones. DisclaimerThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "may," "could," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About NovartisNovartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people's lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach nearly 300 million people worldwide. Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at and connect with us on LinkedIn US, X/Twitter US and Instagram. References Leqvio. Prescribing information. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp Cannon CP, de Lemos JA, Rosenson RS, et al. Use of lipid-lowering therapies over 2 years in GOULD, a registry of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the US. JAMA Cardiol. 2021;6(9):1060-1068. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2021.1810 Fox KM, Tai M-H, Kostev K, Hatz M, Qian Y, Laufs U. Treatment patterns and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal attainment among patients receiving high- or moderate-intensity statins. Clin Res Cardiol. 2018;107(5):380-388. doi:10.1007/s00392-017-1193-z Wong ND, Young D, Zhao Y, et al. Prevalence of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association statin eligibility groups, statin use, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control in US adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2012. J Clin Lipidol. 2016;10(5):1109-1118. doi:10.1016/ Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2019;139(25):e1082-e1143. doi:10.1016/ Rao SV, O'Donoghue ML, Ruel M, et al. 2025 ACC/AHA/ACEP/NAEMSP/SCAI guideline for the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025;85(22):2135-2237. doi:10.1016/ American Heart Association. More than half of U.S. adults don't know heart disease is leading cause of death, despite 100-year reign. Published January 24, 2024. Accessed July 25, 2025. World Heart Federation. World Heart Report 2023: confronting the world's number one killer. Published May 20, 2023. Accessed July 25, 2025. World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Published June 11, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2025. Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics–2012 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(1):e2-e220. doi:10.1161/CIR.0b013e31823ac046 Kim H, Kim S, Han S, et al. Prevalence and incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in Korea: a nationwide population-based study. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1112. doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7439-0 Goldstein JL, Brown MS. A century of cholesterol and coronaries: from plaques to genes to statins. Cell. 2015;161(1):161-172. doi:10.1016/ Ference BA, Graham I, Tokgozoglu L, Catapano AL. Impact of lipids on cardiovascular health: JACC Health Promotion Series. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;72(10):1141-1156. doi:10.1016/ ### Novartis Media Relations E-mail: Novartis Investor Relations Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944 E-mail: original content: SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
