Amy Dowden may not be participating in Strictly Come Dancing this year, but her presence is felt every Saturday night.
The Strictly pro, 33, will not compete this year after being diagnosed with breast cancer and ‘another sort of disease’ earlier this year.
Amy mentioned that she had a mastectomy but that she hopes to be back in her heels and on the dancefloor as soon as possible.
She’s now disclosed that fellow professional Carlos Gu, 30, is sending her covert messages during the show’s live Saturday night broadcasts.
Carlos, she claims, will make a certain hand motion to inform her that he is thinking about her and misses her. Only Amy understands what this gesture means.
Carlos, who is competing with Angela Scanlon this year, was initially introduced to the Strictly cast last year, finishing second with Molly Rainford.
In addition to the hidden hand movements, Carlos has reportedly committed to shave his head in solidarity of Amy, who shaved her head prior starting treatment last month.
Speaking to The Mirror, she described how Carlos was ‘crying’ when she showed him pictures of her hair loss and shaved head: ‘He wants to shave his head, too.’
‘He’s adamant, and that he’s getting a tattoo, a breast cancer one [too] – but I’ve told him he’s not allowed to shave his head, he’s on Strictly,’ she added.
Amy’s most recent remarks come only days after she announced that she was on the verge of death while having treatment for stage three breast cancer.
‘After both my first cycles I developed the life-threatening side-effects that can come with chemo, so I had it all in the first month,’ she explained.
‘I had a temperature – I stood up, collapsed, and my mum um rang the emergency number and they said “Phone an ambulance immediately”.’
While Amy is unlikely to appear in front of the cameras this year, her image appears in the opening credits, just before the Strictly logo.
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday at 6.20pm on BBC One.
