BBC One to Air Strictly Amy: Crohn’s and Me

Wildflame Productions’ Strictly Amy: Crohn’s and Me, a documentary following Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden, has been picked up for BBC One.

The hour-long documentary was originally commissioned by BBC Wales and transmitted in Wales in September last year. It will air on BBC One in advance of this year’s season of Strictly Come Dancing.

Strictly Amy: Crohn’s and Me centers on Dowden, the first-ever Welsh professional to enter the Strictly ballroom when she joined the show in 2017. She started dancing at the age of 8, became the British National Champion in 2017 and remains one of the highest-ranking Ballroom and Latin American professional dancers in the U.K. When she was 19, Dowden was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a condition that could leave her hospitalized and in pain.

In Strictly Amy: Crohn’s and Me, Dowden confronts her condition. She discusses how the condition has affected her life and career and how she has still fulfilled her dreams as a dancer despite living with a chronic illness. Amid Covid-19, classified as vulnerable, she is forced to lockdown at home, where she reflects on her condition, unsure if she would ever be able to return to the job she loves on Strictly.

Paul Islwyn Thomas, CEO of Wildflame, said: “This documentary is an intimate portrait of living with Crohn’s, told by one of the U.K.’s most popular Strictly dancers. Amy’s approach to this debilitating disease is truly inspirational, and it’s no surprise that it resonated so strongly with the BBC Wales audience. We have a huge amount of experience of bringing deeply personal stories to the screen, so are delighted that this film’s move to BBC One will bring a new audience to this really important story.”