Amy Dowden opens up on Crohn's disease battle

Amy Dowden has finally "accepted" that she\'s got Crohn\'s disease.

The \'Strictly Come Dancing\' pro has suffered with the condition - where part of the digestive system gets inflamed - since she was 11 and was diagnosed aged 19, and opening up about her health in new BBC documentary \'Crohn\'s and Me\' has been a big help.

She told Wales Online: "I met some amazing Crohnies! We are now friends for life, they have it way worse than me and I see them achieving goals and conquering ambitions and I\'m totally inspired.

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"I\'ve learnt a lot from them and about the condition and I\'ve learned a lot about myself really. I can finally say that I\'ve accepted I\'ve got Crohn\'s.

"When I got the diagnosis at 19 I could say \'This is what\'s wrong with me,\' but then it\'s the flip side of learning and accepting this is something you\'ve got for life.

"That will take you off your feet, you might not be able to do all the opportunities in life you wanted - but I\'ve accepted that now."

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Amy, now 29, admitted she has shown her "real vulnerable side" in the documentary, but her focus was on raising awareness to help other people rather than getting "sympathy" for herself.

She added: "There are a few scenes of me in hospital, I\'m losing my dignity really, showing my real vulnerable side.

"I never wanted it to come across that I\'m looking for sympathy or I look weak, I\'m trying to raise awareness, the more awareness is raised the more money is raised and then we could find a cure."

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Amy has been a pro on \'Strictly\' since 2017, and last year she reached the final with celebrity partner Karim Zeroual.