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Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has revealed she was trolled online for receiving her Covid vaccine early.
The professional dancer, 30, was eligible to get her vaccine before the majority of her age group because she has been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
Amy revealed to the Mirror on Saturday: ‘I was disappointed. It is just people typing without thinking.’
‘I was disappointed’: Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has revealed she was trolled online for receiving her Covid vaccine early because she has Crohn’s disease
Although Amy has suffered with the bowel condition since she was 11, she didn’t receive her diagnosis until she was 19.
The pro dancer admitted: ‘I had so many people tell me when I got diagnosed, ‘Oh well it’s going to stop you dancing and I was a bit like: “How dare they?”
‘It made me even more determined,’ she added.
Amy has praised the support given to her by her Strictly co-stars while she manages her condition, with Katya Jones and Oti Mabuse even accompanying her in ambulances and for hospital visits.
Sweet: Amy has praised the support given to her by her Strictly co-stars while she manages her condition (pictured with her dance partner JJ Chalmers in 2020)
The latest interview comes after Amy told OK! magazine last month: ‘Dianne [Buswell] is always checking on me and, when I had to go to hospital, Oti [Mabuse] got into a car the moment she finished filming and turned up at 11pm to see me.
‘Another time when I was ill, Katya [Jones] took me to hospital and sat with me until 5am.’
Amy also revealed in the candid interview that a high dose of intravenous steroids made her gain weight and that people have made ‘spiteful’ comments.
She said: ‘I’m urging people to stop and think before they speak or write an unkind message.
‘Some people are too quick to comment about the way someone looks. They have no idea what the target of their remark is going through.’
Treat people with kindness: The latest interview comes after Amy urged trolls to ‘stop and think before they speak’ when speaking to OK! magazine last month (pictured in 2019)
The dancer first admitted she was suffering from Crohn’s disease in 2019, in a bid to help others.
Crohn’s is described by the NHS as a lifelong condition in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed.
People with the disease commonly experience phases of intense abdominal pain, severe vomiting, exhaustion and bloody diarrhoea, among other symptoms.
And Amy revealed she has recently experienced a flare-up and the high dose of intravenous steroids she was given in hospital made her gain weight.
Cruel: She also explained she was trolled after a recent flare up and the high dose of intravenous steroids she was given in hospital made her gain weight
She said: ‘Although it made me feel better, it creates water retention, making my hips, thighs and bottom bloat and my face puffy.
‘I want to look my best on the dance floor, but when you get photographed in an unflattering light and people make spiteful comments about your size, it can be very hurtful.’
Amy added that she has been dealing with the effect of medication on her body throughout her career.
She said: ‘I was either too skinny and people assumed I was anorexic, or I’d bloat from my medication.’
Tough: ‘When you get photographed in an unflattering light and people make spiteful comments about your size, it can be very hurtful,’ she revealed
She recalled: ‘I’d just come off the dance floor when a dressmaker in the changing room looked at me and said “She has a fat bottom and a thick middle”
‘I felt so humiliated and embarrassed. I was only 21 and still trying to deal with my condition. As a dancer struggling to fit into tiny costumes, I became very self-conscious.’
However, the pro dancer said the Strictly Come Dancing team are very supportive of her condition, adding: ‘Everyone has been so kind. If I’m not feeling well, the boys are so thoughtful and say “Nobody’s lifting Amy today”.’
Rock and a hard place: ‘I was either too skinny and people assumed I was anorexic, or I’d bloat from my medication,’ she added
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