Strictly's Helen Skelton pays emotional tribute to…

Strictly's Helen Skelton pays emotional tribute to co-star 'fighting silent battle'

Helen Skelton has paid an emotional tribute to her one of her Strictly co-stars, praising them for being a "warrior" whilst "fighting a silent battle".

The Countryfile presenter took to Instagram over the Christmas weekend to share admiration for Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Amy Dowden who has been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Amy, 32, was diagnosed with the disease when she was 19 and has been vocal about life with Chron's.

And she has recently shared her experiences in a new BBC documentary, 'Strictly Amy: Crohn's and Me'. In the show, she reveals how dancing 'saved' her following her diagnosis, and speaks to others living with Crohn's to understand the impact on their lives.

In her latest Instagram post, Helen branded Amy as "one of those warrior women" and encouraged people to watch the documentary.

Helen wrote: "If you get a chance this week to watch @amy_dowden documentary on iPlayer please do. She is one of those warrior women who keeps going whilst fighting a silent battle.

"Respect and love to you. Thanks for your insight and sharing your story. Thanks for being one of those women who keeps getting back up."

The tribute to Amy was shared along with a photo of Helen with Strictly co-stars Amy, Dianne Buswell, Tyler West, Fleur East, Molly Rainford, and Vita Coppola, who she called "top bananas".

Amy responded to the post with a number of pink heart emojis and and crying faces, adding "thank you @helenskelton." While fellow Strictly stars also showed their support in the comments.

Helen's dance partner Gorka Marquez applauded Amy and told Helen 'well said' in the comments. Strictly pro dancer Dianne Buswell replied with two heart emojis and Johannes Radebe also sent his love.

Fans also shared their praise for Amy in the comments. One wrote: "I think she is amazing and can't believe what she goes through - and still smiles! Will definitely give it a watch."

Another said: "Thank you Helen. Amy is one of my biggest inspirations. I have Crohn's too and she shows it doesn't have to always take over your life, but she is beautifully honest about the times it does. Can't wait to watch."

Helen and Gorka impressed fans and judges for weeks, and made it all the way to the final of the BBC One dance contest. But the pair eventually missed out on the Glitterball trophy to Hamza and Jowita.