Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden in King's Birthday Honours
Amy Dowden's sunny personality, lilting Welsh accent and sparkling dance moves won her legions of fans as a professional on Strictly Come Dancing, but it has been her health struggles that have endeared her even further to the general public.
As an advocate and ambassador for charity Crohn's & Colitis UK, she has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King's Birthday Honours for her services to fundraising and raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease.
The 33-year-old, who runs Art in Motion Dance Academy in Cradley Heath, has also had a high-profile battle with breast cancer and has undergone a mastectomy and chemotherapy.
She first found a lump in her breast the day before going to the Maldives on her honeymoon with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones and was subsequently diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
She recently finished chemotherapy and tests show she has "no evidence of disease".
Earlier this week it was announced that she will rejoin the cast of professional dancers on Strictly for the 2024 series after missing out last year while she had treatment and also suffered a broken foot.
