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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Sam Cook

Strictly's Helen Skelton pays touching tribute to 'warrior' Amy Dowden

Strictly Come Dancing star Helen Skelton has paid tribute to her 2022 co-star Amy Dowden, calling her a "warrior" for the 'hidden battle' the Welsh dancer faces daily. In a heartfelt post on Instagram, the 39-year-old Countryfile presenter also called some of the other Strictly 2022 stars "top bananas".

In the post, Helen wrote: "Some top bananas in this photo but if you get a chance this week to watch @amy_dowden documentary on iPlayer please do. (Link in stories)

"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," she continued. The documentary that she is referring to is Amy Dowden: Crohn's and Me, which focuses on the dancer's struggle with the disease.

Read more: Strictly star opens up on heartbreaking moment she was body-shamed by pro dancer

Helen was met with a barrage of comments after posting about her Strictly co-stars. Amy, herself, thanked the Countryfile presenter to begin with. "Thank you Helen. People like Amy have inspired me to get back to my best. It’s so hard living with an invisible illness," wrote another person who praised the dancer for raising awareness.

A third person added: "Great call out for Amy. We Welsh people are so proud of our beautiful dancer and person." And a fourth commented: "Amy Dowden's battle with her illness is inspiring and I remember seeing a documentary about it a couple of years ago. Well done Miss Dowden."

Earlier this year, Helen and partner Gorka Marquez made it to the Strictly final but were beaten at the last hurdle by Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał. Whilst she didn't win, Helen credits Strictly for helping her through a "dark time" - read more about that here.

Meanwhile, catch Amy on the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 Christmas Special on BBC iPlayer. You can get more TV news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

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