Strictly viewers emotional as Amy Dowden makes surprise appearance

Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left tearful as Amy Dowden made a surprise appearance in the first live show of the 2023 series.

Sadly, the Welsh pro, 33, won’t be competing as usual in Strictly this year, having been diagnosed with breast cancer and currently undergoing chemotherapy.

However, Amy has remained optimistic about her future on the dancefloor, and fans were given reason to smile when she popped up unexpectedly in the new opening titles.

The opening sequence for each live programme introduces the celebrities and their partners, with this year’s cast including Bobby Brazier, Zara McDermott, Amanda Abbington, Les Dennis, and Angela Rippon.

During the end shot, professional dancers who don’t have partners this year appear with some of their best moves, including Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, and Michelle Tsiakkas.

Last but never least, Amy gets her own moment in the spotlight, beaming at the camera as she swishes around her skirt.

Reacting to the surprise moment, Strictly viewers took to Twitter to express how bittersweet it felt.

‘So glad they’ve included Amy in the opening titles’, one person wrote.

‘It’s lovely to see Amy included in the intro’, another penned.

Ahead of the first Strictly live show, Amy made it clear that she’s rooting for her co-stars.

Amy – who announced in June that she had undergone a mastectomy – posted photo of her dressed in Strictly glamour to her Instagram and wrote: ‘Happy live show day @bbcstrictly. Wishing the entire team a fabulous show and I know it’s going to be amazing!

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She said it would ‘take some time’ to get used to her new look, but now she’s focused on getting back to being the ‘happy, dancing tea lover who talks way too fast, rolling every R and who is still there inside, with our without hair.’

Amy has remained in contact with the Strictly team since being diagnosed, praising them for how they’ve handled the difficult situation.

During the launch show last Saturday, she also got a shout-out from presenter Tess Daly.

The host said: ‘We are, of course, missing one of our professional dancers.

‘Our gorgeous Amy Dowden is unwell and she can’t be with us for the start of the series.

‘She’s our Welsh dragon and we know she’ll be back soon.’

Claudia Winkleman added: ‘Amy, from your entire Strictly family we are sending all our love and we can’t wait to have you back on the dancefloor.’

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and iPlayer each weekend.

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