Overview
- Dowden posted from hospital that the operation went well and that she is resting with care from her husband, family and close friends.
- She confirmed she will step away from upcoming Strictly Come Dancing episodes while she recuperates.
- Sharing plans for the months ahead, she told fans she aims to rejoin her Strictly family and expects to “dance my way through 2026.”
- Support poured in from colleagues and viewers, including on-air well-wishes from It Takes Two host Janette Manrara and messages from Dianne Buswell and Claudia Winkleman.
- The dancer previously underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy after her May 2023 diagnosis and later reported no evidence of disease in February 2024, crediting her 2021 partner Tom Fletcher’s charity links with helping prompt her original tumour detection.