Giovanni Pernice and Anton Du Beke have made some heartfelt comments about their Strictly Come Dancing co-star Amy Dowden's return to the BBC show after the dance revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in May.
Appearing on Thursday's edition of Good Morning Britain, the professional dancers spoke to Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard to discuss their upcoming tour when they were asked how Amy is doing.
Giovanni described Amy as a "fighter", while Anton said: "She's an incredible girl, and we're all wishing her as much love as we can and as send much support as we can.
"We're all on a group chat and we're with her through the whole journey. We can't wait to see her back on the show, fighting fit."
MORE: Amy Dowden reveals how she is recovering after first cancer treatment
MORE: Strictly star Amy Dowden pays heartfelt tribute after first cancer treatment
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockAmy revealed her diagnosis exclusively with HELLO! back in May and, this week, the dancer shared on social media that she was keen to return to the show as quickly as possible: "My goal through all this is getting back dancing as soon as I can".
The 32-year-old opened up further about her treatment journey and whether it could affect her chances of returning to the competition, which will begin in September. "If I only have radiotherapy, I'll be back on Strictly this season," she told the Mirror.
© Getty"Once the radiotherapy is done there'll be nothing to stop me, there's no pressure but Strictly is leaving the door open. It's having something to work towards. I'm visualising myself on that Strictly dance floor. Just being back in the ballroom with the live audience, the adrenalin and the atmosphere. And the support from the whole Strictly family."
© GettyThe Welsh-born dance champion spoke extensively to HELLO! about her journey, and how she's keen to raise awareness of the illness. "With what I've done for Crohn’s, I want to do the same here,” explains Amy, whose advocacy around her chronic condition has included making a powerful BBC documentary, Strictly Amy: Crohn's and Me. "If I can try and turn this negative into a positive, it's going to help me get through this."
© InstagramShe also told HELLO!: "I've been through quite a lot in my life and this is another hurdle. But if I'm positive and strong, I've got a really good chance of getting back out on the dancefloor as soon as possible."
Amy continued: "You just don't ever think it's going to happen to you," she adds. "I hadn't thought it was possible to get breast cancer at my age. My mum has had breast cancer, but she had it at a later age, in her 50s."
© InstagramThe dancer, who joined Strictly in 2017, discovered a lump in her breast the day before she and her husband Ben Jones flew out to the Maldives for their belated honeymoon. Upon feeling a lump while showering, she explained to HELLO! that she felt it grow over time and knew it needed inspecting.
"I started to check it less because it was worrying me, and I didn't want to flare my Crohn's up. Then, once we were back home, I went to do a [dance] show with Ben and I was putting some shimmer on and the lump felt so much bigger. I just knew I needed to go to the doctors."
