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Strictly dancer Amy Dowden says breast cancer surgery went well

BBC Amy Dowden in front of Strictly Come Dancing logosBBC
The dancer says she is thankful for "all the support" as she starts treatment

Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden has given fans a positive update after she underwent surgery for breast cancer.

The 32-year-old spoke of her surgery success in an Instagram post on Thursday after the start of her treatment for the disease.

The dancer, from Caerphilly, revealed last month that she had been diagnosed with grade three breast cancer.

Co-stars and fans were among those wishing her well on social media.

"Step one to beating cancer! Rrrrrrready for this fight and more determined than ever to get back on the dancefloor," Amy wrote in an Instagram post shared on Wednesday afternoon.

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Soon after, comments began appearing from friends, fans and fellow Strictly stars.

Tom Fletcher, one of her former partners on the show, said: "Sending you all the love today. Us Fletchers are right behind you."

Co-star Gorka Márquez replied "you got this", while Dianne Buswell said she was "sending all that energy your way my love".

Stacey Dooley, Zoe Ball and Helen Skelton all also commented in support.

On Thursday Amy added an update to her Instagram story saying her surgery had gone well, thanking the surgeons and nurses who she said were "utterly amazing".

Amy's Instagram story
Amy thanks the hospital staff who looked after her in a recent Instagram story

"Very sore but focusing on the positives they said the surgery went well! Thanks for all the support and messages," she added.

The star, who became a Strictly Come Dancing professional in 2017, revealed that she had breast cancer in May.

JJ Chalmers and Amy Dowden dancing on series 18 of Strictly Come Dancing
Amy, seen here on Strictly come dancing with contestant JJ Chalmers, has said she wants to get back on the dancefloor

Already a campaigner for awareness for Crohn's disease, Amy said she hoped sharing her diagnosis would help others and herself in her recovery.

"If I can try and turn this negative into a positive, it's going to help me get through this," she said at the time.

The dancer discovered the lump in April, a day before she was due to fly on her honeymoon to the Maldives with husband Ben.

"I was in the shower and I felt this hard lump in my right breast," said Amy.

"I was in shock. I checked again. I thought: 'Right, it could just be period-related, or so many things. I decided I was going to keep an eye on it for a few weeks."

She said one of her first thoughts was how long it would take her to get back on the dancefloor.

The star did not reveal the full details of her treatment plan, but thanked people for their support in her most recent post.