Amy Dowden shaves head after cancer diagnosis

Amy Dowden has revealed that she has shaved off her hair following her breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

Dowden was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May and subsequently underwent a single mastectomy but the Strictly Come Dancing star later revealed the cancer had spread and she would have to undergo chemotherapy.

Read more: Amy Dowden reunites with 'Strictly family' ahead of next chemo treatment

As chemotherapy was causing her hair to fall out, Dowden has taken the step to shave off all her hair and has posted the video on social media.

In the caption of the post, Dowden wrote: "Taking control. The hardest step so far. I tried my best to save it. I know it’s only hair but these past few months I’ve had what feels like so much taken away from me that has made me not feel like Amy."

She added: "I’m missing every possible aspect of dancing. I just wanted to keep my identity with my hair and I tried telling myself it wouldn’t go. But I would dread the pain of waking up to the shredding everyday. I’ve not been able to take control of this journey so far, but as you can see with some of my loved ones I took the courage and CONTROL."

Dowden also insisted she can see the finish line with her treatment and said that she was the halfway stage of her chemotherapy course.

The professional dancer has suffered a number of issues since beginning chemotherapy to treat her cancer. After the first round of treatment, Dowden contracted sepsis and after the second she developed blood clots.

Her hair began to fall out after her third round of chemotherapy and she detailed some of the other side effects such as fatigue, mouth ulcers and vomiting.

Due to her illness, Dowden has not been able to take part in the current season of Strictly Come Dancing.

Breast cancer is a common type of cancer in women with around one in seven women diagnosed in their lifetime. The most notable symptoms of breast cancer are a lump or a change in appearance.