Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden invites fellow show professional Carlos Gu to spend Christmas with her… after her last hospital visit before the holidays amid her cancer battle

Amy Dowden invited her Strictly Come Dancing co-star Carlos Goo to experience “his first British Christmas” with her and her loved ones.

Shiny Socks star Amy, 33, who took a break from Strictly this year after being diagnosed with cancer, took to Instagram on Sunday to share glimpses of her festive celebrations.

TV presenter Amy could be seen posing with Carlos, 30, from China, before the couple dined with her husband Benjamin Jones and her twin sister Becky.

She captioned her post: “Appreciate every moment and everyone in your life!” Merry Christmas everyone!

“With us @gkx_carlos celebrating his first British Christmas!” Sending Welsh love to everyone, especially thinking of those who may find this time of year difficult. #Merry Christmas everyone.’

It comes after Amy documented her last hospital visit before Christmas on Thursday.

The dancer, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and had a mastectomy in July, was supported by her devoted husband Benjamin Jones during the visit.

Wearing a festive sweater, she beamed in photos and thanked hospital staff before joking that the big injection was her “early Christmas present”.

She wrote: “Last round before Christmas, then we get into the Christmas spirit and bring in the lovely dance teachers!! Ready to spend Christmas with your loved one.”

Amy and Ben married in July 2002 and discovered a lump in her breast the day before she flew off for a belated honeymoon to the Maldives.

It comes after Amy thanked the Strictly Come Dancing team in a heartfelt social media post last Sunday after she returned to the show for the final after being forced to miss the series due to cancer treatment.

She returned for the finale and seemed to have a great time meeting all her pals in the dressing rooms during the show.

She shared behind-the-scenes snaps with finalist Dianne Buswell, as well as members of the cast.

Alongside the photos, Amy wrote on Instagram: “Strictly 2023, thank you!” Congratulations to our amazing winners and finalists, as well as each team member! This is truly a dream team!”

“My goal this year was to learn some form of dance, but after I broke my leg, plans had to change, but as always, the incredible team made it happen anyway.

“I got to be part of the opening number last night, thanks @jasongilkison. Getting such an adrenaline rush from performing in front of an audience and being back with the gang made me feel like Amy again (for the first time since my diagnosis). Thank you @bbcstrictly for helping me these last few months.

“You have helped me more than you could ever imagine! This show is definitely bringing joy to the nation. It’s a bittersweet ending for me as this has been the only piece of normalcy I’ve had in the last few months and it gave me a chance to take my mind off things and focus on being there on Saturdays when I could with the team.”

Concluding the post, she wrote: “My heart couldn’t be more filled with this show and everyone involved. I’m so proud to be a part of the magic! Thank you!’

Viewers were moved to tears when Amy returned to the show’s dance floor during this year’s finale.

Although she appeared on the program and its spin-off It Takes Two, she did not dance with her fellow professionals before the final.

But on Saturday she took to the dance floor again, opting to go without a wig after losing her hair after chemotherapy.

The moment left viewers emotional and many took to Twitter to express their joy at seeing her on screen.

One viewer wrote: “Tears when I saw Amy Dowden dance in the #StrictlyFinal. Let’s bring her back #strictlyFinal soon!”

Someone else shared: “This discovery of Amy Dowden was a MOMENT.”

‘@AmyDowden dancing!!! Oh my goodness, it’s so nice to see this. Moment with bleeding eyes,” another viewer shared.

While someone else wrote: “Oh my god #Strictly I’m sobbing in a minute seeing gorgeous #AmyDowden dancing.”

Another fan of the show commented: “Amy Dowden dancing without a wig is the energy everyone needs.”

And someone else shared: “Great to see Amy Dowden at the opening!”

Amy pulled out of this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing as she underwent chemotherapy, which she completed in November.

However, earlier this week the star appeared on ITV This Morning where she admitted her cancer journey was far from over.

The chemotherapy caused neuropathy, meaning she temporarily lost feeling in her arms and legs, causing her to land on her foot at an odd angle and fracture her metatarsal.

And just weeks after breaking her leg, Amy was rushed to hospital after suffering another blow to her health.

The professional dancer was diagnosed with a blood clot in her lung but is now thankfully recovering well thanks to blood thinner injections.

Amy explained: “I take each day as it comes. I thought that as soon as I rang the bell, I would be fine, but it was not like that, now it is becoming much more difficult for me mentally. The journey is not over yet.

“The thing I love most was taken away from me, and I find it cruel.”

As the December cover star of Women’s Health UK, Amy opened up about the life-changing challenge she faced after being diagnosed with cancer in May.

The dancer insisted: “I just want to be treated as normal. When I go out in a headscarf, I don’t need sympathetic looks or pity for me – I’m Amy.

“Sometimes people don’t know how to deal with it. Just ask how I’m doing – I’ll answer you. We don’t want you to feel sorry for us. We accept this. Be strong with us… Don’t look at me with pity – I don’t need that!”