Amy Dowden (Strictly Come Dancing), Tanni Grey-Thompson, Billy Monger On The One Show [20.08.2024]

time now to introduce our guests strictly star Amy daen racing driver Billy manga and 11 times gold par Olympic medalist baroness Tanny gray Thompson welcome M good to see you all now we joke that everyone in Wales knows each other with four Welsh women on the set tonight there was bound to be a connection and Amy and Tanny you have uh been together before yeah you came to my school to give a motivational inspirational speech when I was a teenager at St kenv that's slightly scary hopefully it was motivational but anyway yeah but the chances are high AR they we all cross over eventually Billy this is what it's like in Wales um Amy we've got to talk about your documentary my goodness it is so brilliant and so open and you decided didn't you to film it just six weeks after your six days sorry after your diagnosis was that a half decision how did you come to that conclusion it was but because I'd done my Crohn's documentary before and I saw the impact it had for the cronis and Colitis Community for raising awareness breaking down the stigma I don't think if it wasn't for doing that I would have had the confidence to have done it um but I guess I saw the rewards from that and I was trying to turn such a Negative horrible time into some sort of positive you know if I could save one life from this because early detection does save lives if people start checking themselves because if you're not checking who is then something good would have come out of it yeah well let's have a look at what your audience can expect all I ever wanted to be was a professional dancer the strictly chem dancing star Amy dowen has revealed she's been diagnosed with breast cancer the doctor told me I was going to need really strong chemotherapy I was terrified you just going to suck it up and deal with it for anybody going through cancer there is no textbook you do what you need to do Amy [Applause] Dow like to say if it has anything like the impact your Crohn's documentary did it really will reach and change lives that was such a an impactful documentary I know Billy you've also haven't you made a documentary about your story and did you find that to be a positive experience yeah when I saw myself up for that documentary I didn't realize the benefit that it would have on me as an individual and have being able to reflect back on like the journey and the whole process of my recovery how positive that was going to be yeah for myself like you think about if it can potentially help other people but yeah it helps me too so yeah it must be uh a real emotional rooll close to watching some of that footage back but it's incredible to see where you've got to it's amazing yeah I'm looking so well as well Amy thank you and you've also written a biography as well and this is brilliant because it's your entire story from your childhood and it's it's much more about your life than just about the cancer diagnosis isn't it yeah from my dancing beginning at 8 years old and you know unfortunately my chrom's battle to my dancing journey to strictly to obviously my recent cancer diagnosis but for me it's like I'm a typical Welsh girl where you know I'm a chat box and can't shut up but I want people to feel like they're sat and have I'm you know got a cup of tea and I'm just chatting to you and I really hope as well because I've been for an off a lot um that it gives people hope courage and I just give a few tools of what I've used in my life to get me out of the darker times and you talk about the support network as well that you have and it must be really lovely to write about the people who've helped you through every period of your life right back to those young teachers who helped you as a dancer I'm a strong believer you are who you surround yourself with and I'm so lucky to have had the best dance teachers family friend's husband and yeah they made me who I am today so yeah go into quite a bit of detail about them as well yeah um and I'm just like so grateful for it because it was a bit like therapy for me going through it all and actually at a time where strictly was taken away from me because I couldn't dance that I had to process everything I had to go back into my chared looking at things with my Crohn's battle that maybe I kind of put to one side and it was kind of really good it's such a low point to actually you know really have to dig deep and process everything and put it down and I just really hope again that it helps others it definitely will but you know there is so much in the book but one of the chapters that is great fun is you know you getting the strictly job and dun dun done turning it down I know am does that I mean you you've got to you've got to tell us all what happened so I'm the first ever professional dancer to do that but look it all worked out in the end and you're going to have to read the book there was a good reason we should say no spoiler alert no spoiler Al I should have done strictly in 2016 but I did join in 2017 but sometimes the stars align at the right time for the right reason I know you're back in rehearsals and everything's going really well so that's great brilliant brilliant we can't wait can we to see this year's no definitely not the the red Wine's ready Amy's documentary strictly Amy cancer and me will Air next Monday at 8:00 on bbc1 and I player and her book dancing in the rain will be out on the 5th of September thank you and all episodes of Amy's brilliant series D to dance are available on I player now still to cam Tanny and Billy will be telling us why this year's par Olympics in Paris might just be a match for the brilliant par Olympic games of London 2012 well that would be a thing because that was rather spectacular was now then Tanny Tanny you were a legend on the track and in the commentary Booth Paralympics coming up yeah how do you think these games in Paris will comp compare to past games oh it's going to be amazing I think the city has got really ready for the games if you look at the coverage from Soul which was my first games which was probably way before you were born uh there was one half hour program narrated by Cliff Morgan famous Walsh commentator about six weeks later but that was it that was it six weeks later six weeks later yeah so Barcelona Helen rollinson there was a big step up but these games uh is going to be on TV Morning Noon night uh it's just incredible London set the standard didn't it in terms of audience and crowds and television coverage yeah and um you know for these games it's like every important final is going to be shown every Podium position is going to be shown so that's exciting because you get to see everything across all the different sports London was amazing uh and I'd have to say I think Paris has nicked some of the ideas of the games in the city you know what are you saying Tanny I hear saying they've copied us a little bit but you know if you're going to copy anything copy the good stuff yeah but what's great is they've used so many of the original venues they haven't had to build those they've used what they've got which is beautiful they look amazing sparking Billy you're in for a real treat because the Olympics I think is always good at getting the kind of brushing the cobwebs out you know making sure that everything works you guys go in and it is going to be spectacular and you're part of an amazing presenting team aren't you yeah the presenting team for yeah for the Paralympics is going to be incredible I'm really looking forward to it's going to be my first ever summer par Olympic Games I've been involved with and like you say Paris is such an iconic City City I feel like it's going to be such a great host for shift you the par Olympics I'm in the morning shift so upright and early nice you're going to come bring us into the day yeah hope so we reflecting on hopefully the previous day where we've won hopefully a few few medals so that's the plan definitely you say that in Tokyo team GB came second on the medal table how do you think they'll fair this time can they do as well I I think so yeah I mean it Tokyo was the first time paralympic TB won medals in every sport so they'll be looking to emulate that uh there's a pretty tough medal Target but I think what we're going to see Paralympics bit like the Olympics France will come through strong and I think USA uh you know getting ready for La which is the next games I think we'll see some surprises there but you know everyone I know is training really hard completely focused they they want to do well so top five medal table absolutely good all right having just come from Paris I can tell you the atmosphere through the city amazing and you know you're really in for Billy what is it that you're most looking forward to seeing sporting wise it's so hard to to say like what sport in particular because I feel like what's great about the Olympics and the Paro Olympics is you end up watching the coverage and because there's so much of it you end up finding sports that you've never seen before and sports that grab your attention for two weeks you can't get enough of it so I feel like I'm probably going to have one of those moments during this games where I'm like okay this sport has got me by hook and by Crook and I'm not going to let it go for the next two weeks yeah now one one of the things everybody talked about even before the competing started was the opening ceremony Amy did you watch it there were a lot of boats right and you know some people loved it some people weren't quite as sure um are the boats coming back do we know we we don't think they are I mean it was very brave to do the boats that's what I'm sticking with uh it's going to be plasa Concord and Shel as a big secret at the moment but I think what we're going to expect is the athletes will be the heart of it because what people forget the stadium is lovely athletes don't see any of the opening ceremony they spend 4 hours outside they've eaten their sandwiches uh and you sit around waiting and you come out and it's the end yeah yeah so with the Olympics the athletes were part of it um hoping there's no rain as well well it was it was what was it like being there then obviously the weather improved massively but I think what was important for that opening C I feel is that the parisians enjoyed it and I always think an opening soy should reflect the country that it's in and people kept coming up to me afterwards French people saying did you enjoy it did you and I said it's not important about me did you enjoy it which was a good way of being diplomatic I felt they would say yes we loved it because I watched the London opening ceremony with one of my colleagues from America who didn't get it didn't enjoy it and that was incredible for all of us I think as long as the parisians and the French loved it then that's what's important so yeah um lots of past strictly gang presenting as well Rose is doing it JJ Charmers um Vic hope there are you and JJ still in touch yeah we went out for dinner earlier this year yeah we're still in touch and I'm just super proud of it oh he's he's doing everything isn't he you you can't you can't turn an event on without JJ these days it's amazing he had a very good Olympics as well it's it's coming soon we're so excited so excited yeah well the par Olympics coverage starts next Wednesday with the opening ceremony at halfast 6 on channel four and we've got a better idea of what might be happening I think thanks to Tanny now it's definitely Tanny told everybody H Richard has messaged us to say what a great couch this evening Billy Tanny and Amy all fantastic a Mary says thank you Amy for giving so many families hope that better days are com in I live in southern Ireland so the Amy effect is spreading more than just in the UK and Rebecca says just like Amy I also remember Tanny coming into my school to share her story that students and the teachers were all so inspired nice you're amazing thank you so much to our brilliant guests tomorrow claraa ano and Alex Scott will be in charge and they'll be joined by so Brien May Mo Gilligan and Matt will be here with Watchdog bye-bye see you soon [Applause] [Music]