Strictly's Amy Dowden reveals she's begun her breast cancer treatment as she shares a health update from her hospital bed

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed she's begun hospital treatment for her breast cancer.

The dancer, 32, announced she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer last week after discovering a lump on her breast while preparing for her honeymoon with her husband Ben Jones.

Amy took to Instagram to share a snap from her hospital bed, writing she was 'more determined than ever' to get back on the Strictly dancefloor.

Her post's caption read: 'Step one to beating cancer! Rrrrrrready for this fight and more determined than ever to get back on the dance floor.'

Many of Amy's Strictly co-stars shared their own well-wishes for the star in the comments underneath her post with Karen Hauer writing: 'Love you ♥️ you got this.'

'Ready for this fight!' Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed she's begun hospital treatment for her breast cancer

'Ready for this fight!' Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed she's begun hospital treatment for her breast cancer

Determined: The dancer took to Instagram to share a snap from her hospital bed, writing she was 'more determined than ever' to get back on the Strictly dancefloor

Determined: The dancer took to Instagram to share a snap from her hospital bed, writing she was 'more determined than ever' to get back on the Strictly dancefloor

Tom Fletcher added: 'Sending you all the love today. Us Fletchers are right behind you. X.'

Former It Takes Two host Zoe Ball commented: 'huge love and strength to you beautiful amy.' 

Amy has received a wave of public support from her Strictly co-stars since publicly sharing her diagnosis, with producers confirming her position on the show will remain vacant until she returns. 

The Strictly Come Dancing professional shared her diagnosis on Instagram in May and discussed the possibility of returning to the BBC show for its new series later this year.

She wrote: 'Hey all, I've got some news which isn't easy to share. I've recently been diagnosed with breast cancer but I'm determined to get back on that dance floor before you know it. Welsh love Amy.'

The dancer has battled gut condition Crohn's disease since she was a child and said she has already been through 'quite a lot' in her life with health struggles.

She told HELLO at the time: 'You just don't ever think it's going to happen to you. I hadn't thought it was possible to get breast cancer at my age. My mum has had breast cancer, but she had it at a later age, in her 50s.'

Amy said it was taking part in the CoppaTrek! walk last June in support of breast health awareness charity CoppaFeel! that led her to discover her own cancer.

Scary: Amy announced she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer last week after discovering a lump on her breast while preparing for her honeymoon with her husband Ben Jones

Scary: Amy announced she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer last week after discovering a lump on her breast while preparing for her honeymoon with her husband Ben Jones

She realised that she doesn't 'check her breasts' and then made a conscious effort to check herself, saying CoppaFeel! has 'potentially saved her life'.

'I don't know how long this lump could have been there before I would have noticed and done something about it,' she added.

Amy said she found a lump in her right breast in April, a day before she and her husband flew to the Maldives for a belated honeymoon after their wedding last July.

The dancer said she was 'in shock' and decided to keep an eye on the lump, before going to the doctor when the lump grew on her return home.

She was immediately sent for an emergency referral, where she was told the lump looked 'suspicious' and to 'prepare for the worst'.

After a biopsy, Amy was told she had grade three breast cancer, saying her first question was when she could get back on the dance floor.

Grade three cancer is when the cells look very different to normal breast cells and tend to spread more quickly. The grade describes how a cancer cell looks under a microscope.

It is different to a cancer stage, which describes the size of the cancer and how far it has spread. Amy is yet to find out what stage of cancer she has.

Amy said her cancer has been caught 'early' and she is now waiting for more information before she is given a full treatment plan, which will include surgery.

She is waiting for an MRI scan and a biopsy after medics found a second lump in her right breast, and she will be given a full prognosis after that step.

Prognosis: She said her cancer has been caught 'early' and she is now waiting for more information before she is given a full treatment plan, which will include surgery

Prognosis: She said her cancer has been caught 'early' and she is now waiting for more information before she is given a full treatment plan, which will include surgery 

After sharing her diagnosis on Instagram, Amy was flooded with comments of support from her fellow Strictly pros and stars who appeared on the show.

Amy has dealt with an array of health struggles over the years after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of 11.

Crohn's disease is described by the NHS as a 'lifelong condition', which sees parts of the digestive system inflamed.

Among other symptoms, suffers can experience extreme abdominal pain, vomiting, exhaustion and diarrhoea.

What is breast cancer, how many people does it strike and what are the symptoms?  

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women.

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer develops from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.

When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding breast tissue it is called an 'invasive' breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.

Most cases develop in women over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.

Staging means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.

What causes breast cancer?

A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply.

There are some risk factors that can increase the chance of developing breast cancer, such as genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most breast lumps are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign. 

The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.

For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000