Amy Dowden is a Welsh professional ballroom dancer best known for being one of the professionals on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. She was born on 10 August 1990 in Caerphilly in Wales and is 35 years old. She will trace her family history on Who Do You Think You Are? on 2 June 2026.
In the public eye, Amy has been open about her health, documenting her experience living with Crohn’s disease since a child in a BBC documentary that won a BAFTA Cymru award. She was appointed an MBE for her services to fundraising and raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease in June 2024.
In May 2023, she also announced her diagnosis with breast cancer and having a mastectomy. Her journey with cancer is ongoing, and in November 2025, she announced she was undergoing another mastectomy.
In August 2024, she was in another BBC documentary called Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which followed her breast cancer journey.
1. Welsh trailblazer
When Amy joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, she was the first-ever Welsh professional dancer to be on the show.
2. Dancing professional
She is one of the highest-ranking Ballroom and Latin American professional dancers in the UK.
3. Dance and life partners
Amy married her dance partner, Ben Jones, in 2022. The couple won the British National Latin Dance championships in 2017 and were the first all-British pair to do so in over 30 years.
4. World record holder
She holds the Guinness World Record for the most Back Charleston kick steps in 30 seconds, where she did a total number of 19.
5. Family connection
She has a twin sister called Rebecca.