AMY Dowden has shared details of the horrif body-shaming she expereinced in the dancing industry.
Strictly star Amy, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, revealed she had received shocking comments from a fellow professional dancer who told her she had a ‘thick middle’ and a ‘fat bottom’.
Strictly’s Amy Dowden has opened up about a difficult time
The star revealed another dancer body shamed her in the past
Amy opened up on the horrific abuse in a chat with the BBC where she admitted that the body-shaming began in her early career when she was only 19 years old.
The dancer, who takes steroids to help manage the condition, said: “I can remember doing a dance competition when I was about 19 or 20, I’d been on a really high dose of steroids and it bloated me a lot – and my face changed, I called it the guinea pig face. My costume was really tight.
“It took me a lot to get on the dance floor. I remember walking onto the floor and this professional dancer shouted out “she’s got a fat bottom” and a “thick middle” – well, that’s the polite way of saying it. That comment has stayed with me for the rest of my life and when I go on steroids, it’s the first thing I hear.”
She continued: “She didn’t know what I’d been through and instead of dancing I just wanted to run off and cry.”
Amy has battled with the disease since childhood, when it first began affecting her at 11 years old.
The star also admitted that online trolls had been similarly cruel with one labelling her as ‘thunder thighs’.
In an attempt to bring awareness to body-shaming and to help put an end to it, the dancer has begun a podcast called Amy Dowden: Body Shaming and Me to share even more details on her personal journey.
Amy will be back on screens as part of the Strictly Christmas special where she will accopnay Cbeebies star George Webster.
This year Amy danced with EastEnders actor James Bye.
