Review: “Cancer and Me” – A Raw, Real-Time Battle

Last year, the day before Amy Dowden’s honeymoon, she felt a lump in her breast. Immediately, she knew something was wrong. “I just felt a bit sick to my stomach,” the 34-year-old Strictly Come Dancing regular recalls. “So I saw the doctor and he said: ‘Amy, it’s not good news – we’ve found something.’ And I just said: ‘Is it cancer?’ And he just said: ‘Yes.’”

Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, the BBC’s new documentary on the professional dancer’s cancer story, came about because as soon as Amy received the diagnosis, she invited a team to start filming. She hoped it might raise awareness about the disease. The real-time effect is exceedingly raw. You feel as if you are on this journey with her, uncertain of what the future holds. “My first thought when I had to tell Strictly was, ‘Keep my job,’” she says, her face crumpling, her hands reaching up to rub her eyes. “Because that was the scariest thing.” In retrospect, she realizes how naive her initial fears were.

Over the next hour, viewers watch Amy navigate each heavy step. First, there was the mastectomy. Then, the decision to undergo strong chemotherapy when she learned it would double her chances of the cancer not recurring. There were visits to the fertility doctor after being informed that chemotherapy could impact her remaining eggs.

Despite being a familiar face in about 10 million homes each year from 2017 to 2022, the Welsh dancer is remarkably relatable. Soft-spoken and living in a regular house, she comes across as someone who could easily be a friend or a primary school teacher. Watching the film, you almost forget her celebrity status. Cancer, that most feared of illnesses, can affect anyone.

Some of the harder scenes to watch are those involving her family. Her parents, loving and supportive, try to remain strong around Amy. When she tells them that the initial lump has nearly doubled in size and that she has grade three cancer, the most aggressive type, you can hear them steadying their voices on the phone. “Right,” they say. “OK.” “It’s a lot to take in today, isn’t it?” says her mum. “I’m shattered,” says Amy. “I bet you are,” her mum replies, soothingly. Later, after her final round of chemotherapy, Amy hugs her parents, all wearing matching T-shirts: “Nobody fights alone.” It might seem saccharine, but that’s what battling cancer is all about.

Watching documentaries about such terrifying subjects can be uncomfortable, but this isn’t a mournful or grief-stricken film. If anything, it’s heartening. Amy is a remarkably resilient person – because she has to be – and it’s hard not to feel hopeful. She surrounds herself with friends, colleagues, and family, looks continuously to the future, and takes obstacles as they come.

That’s not to say it’s easy. There are plenty of tearful moments where it seems she’s at her limit. But in her determination to get up and carry on, there’s an unexpected optimism. You can’t help but think if she can get through this, any of us can get through anything.

This is real life, so there isn’t a neat, happy ending. Recovering from cancer is difficult – mentally, physically, and in everyday life. There’s always the fear of its return. Amy herself admits her dancing has suffered; she’s not as fit or as fast as she once was, and her upper body has changed, requiring extra training to get back on track.

But Amy’s alive to tell the story, and the outlook is positive. Right now, there’s no sign of the disease. Next month, Amy will return to Strictly – her seventh year on the show. “It feels as if I’m set free,” she says.

• Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me aired on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.