20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Strictly Amy Dowden's 'absolute honour' after 'sweet' gesture at major royal event
Strictly Amy Dowden's 'absolute honour' after 'sweet' gesture at major royal event
The Welsh star revealed she attended the floral event with her parents
Amy Dowden attended the Royal Flower Chelsea Show where they launched the newest variety if sweet pea, which was named after her
(Image: PA )
Strictly star Amy Dowden has spoken of the "absolute honour" of having a plant named after her at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The professional dancer from Caerphilly was presented with the sweet pea in a special event at the major royal event, and described it as a "sweet" gesture. English Sweet Peas officially launched their newest variety - Sweet Pea Amy Dowden, on Monday, May 19. The business revealed that 10% of every packet of 'Amy Dowden' would be donated to the dancer's two chosen charities - CoppaFeel!, which is a breast cancer awareness charity, and Crohn's & Colitis UK, which is a UK based charity dedicated to Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease.
In a post shared on Instagram, English Sweet Peas said they were "extremely proud" to launch the special plant's name.
In the caption, they added: "This sweet pea could not have been named after a more beautiful person and we are sure that you will all agree. We would like to personally thank Amy Dowden for taking the time to be here with us today."
The Welsh star documented the event, which she attended alongside her parents, in a series of photos on her Instagram.
In the caption, she wrote: "Today at The Royal Flower Chelsea show was the launch of the newest variety of sweet pea and named after me.
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"What an absolute honour. Thank you English Sweet Peas.
"The flower is so delicate, beautiful and smells so good. 10% of every pack sold will also be donated to my two charities Crohn's & Colitis UK and CoppaFeel.
"Today really has been a perfect day and so happy I got to share it with my parents."
Amy was diagnosed with Crohn's when she was 19 years old.
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In 2023, she faced a challenging time after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent a mastectomy and intensive chemotherapy.
Following her diagnosis, the dancer documented and candidly shared her cancer journey with fans on social media and on the small screen.
In February 2024, she received the uplifting news of 'no evidence of the disease', but the ballroom expert has been unwavering in her commitment to raising awareness of the disease, providing regular heartfelt updates to her followers.
It's been a busy year for the star so far, having completed her UK tour, Reborn, with close friend and fellow professional dancer Carlos Gu at the beginning of the year.
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Not long after, it was confirmed that the star would be returning to BBC's Strictly Come Dancing later this year.
The dancer had returned to the series last year following her health battle and was paired up with JLS' JB Gill but had to take a step back when she suffered an injury and was replaced by fellow professional dancer Lauren Oakley.
