Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu will take their new live show, Reborn, on tour across the UK this summer, with the Strictly Come Dancing professionals set to appear at 21 venues in a production that mixes dancing, singing and a very personal story. The tour will feature more than 22 dance numbers, ranging from Argentine Tango to Rumba, and will include vocals from Strictly singer Andrea Grant. One of the stops is The Lowry in Salford on 14 June.

Dowden, who joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, said the show is “probably the most personal show yet” from the pair, while stressing that it remains uplifting. She said she hopes audiences leave feeling inspired, lifted, positive and full of celebrations. Gu, a three-time Chinese National Champion who recently lifted the Glitterball Trophy with former Lioness Karen Carney, came up with the idea for the tour. Dowden said the pair are “like brother and sister” and that she is grateful to share the journey with him.

The tour lands at a moment when Dowden’s own story carries extra weight. She recovered from breast cancer after being diagnosed in 2023, released the documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me in 2024 and has been campaigning with My Breast Friend and CoppaFeel!. She said her scans are going great and that she feels really well, adding that she feels reborn after everything she has been through and stronger than ever before.

That sense of renewal is built into the show itself. Dowden said she is most excited about a brand-new number inspired by a famous musical movie, and promised audiences will see “a different Amy” in that performance. She also said the show is her deeply personal story and that she hopes people who have been through similar battles do not feel alone and feel seen. For a performer whose recent years have been shaped by illness and recovery, Reborn is both a celebration and a statement that she is back on stage with purpose.