'Strictly Come Dancing' pro Amy Dowden admits she is "dreaming of dancing again" amid her cancer battle.
Amy Dowden is halfway through chemo and Strictly has been an 'escape' from reality
The 33-year-old dancer isn't part of the BBC One show's line-up this year after she was diagnosed with the disease in May and has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Amy says watching the show has been a real "escapism" from her reality and she is counting down the days until she can return to the ballroom.
Taking to Instagram over the weekend, she wrote: "It’s moments like this I need right now, escaping me from my now at the moment reality and I’m so thankful to the entire @bbcstrictly for this. Hoping to back with the gang real soon.
Amy continued: "There’s no text book or right/wrong way to deal with your cancer journey. Everyone deals with it rightly their way.
"I’m so lucky to be surrounded by so much support which I don’t take for granted and days like here is what keeps me going. I’m dreaming every night of dancing on that floor again but right now I’m my fellow pros' proudest and biggest cheerleader."
Amy recently broke down in tears as she shaved her hair off after chemo caused her locks to fall out in clumps.
She took the brave step of cutting the rest of it off herself as it's the one thing she can control.
A video posted on her Instagram page shows her loved ones taking turns to snip of locks of her hair before the rest was shaved off. She explained: "Taking control - the hardest step so far. I tried my best to save it. I know it’s only hair but these past few months I’ve had what feels like so much taken away from me that has made me not feel like Amy. I’m missing every possible aspect of dancing. I just wanted to keep my identity with my hair and I tried telling myself it wouldn’t go. But I would dread the pain of waking up to the shredding every day."
She went on: "I’ve not been able to take control of this journey so far, but as you can see with some of my loved ones I took the courage and CONTROL. It’s going to take some time to get use to and learn to love and embrace but, I’m now focussing-not on the hair I’m losing but the hair I’m going to get back and the happy dancing, tea lover who talks way to fast whilst rolling every rrrrr who is still there inside with or without hair!"
Amy - who has now reached the halfway point in her chemotherapy treatment - added: "Since taking control, I feel I can now see the finish line. This for me was a hurdle I couldn’t even bring myself to think or speak about. I’ve done it and I’ve also crossed the half way chemo line!
I'm feeling empowered and positive! To everyone on their own journey, whatever that maybe, I’m sending love, power, strength and courage. I found my courage for this step and I’m proud ... (There are some fun before and after vids/reels coming, but I wanted to share the truth and hopefully help others, and bring normality to a beautiful bald head)."
It comes after Amy admitted she was having "meltdowns" over her hair loss.