Amy Dowden has thanked her fans for their "beautiful messages" after her and Thomas Skinner's elimination from Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday. The Apprentice star and the Welsh professional were the first pair to be voted off this year's competition following a dance-off with rugby player Chris Robshaw and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova. Strictly fans were left furious by Amy's early exit, particularly because of the difficult two years she'd endured after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. Amy sat out of the show that year while she received treatment and returned in 2024, but she had to withdraw from the competition due to a foot injury. The 35-year-old addressed the reaction to her exit on her Instagram Stories on Monday, alongside a video showing the view from her hotel room. "Gorgeous morning views and reminding myself everything I'm so grateful for!" she wrote. "Thank you for all the beautiful messages. Mean very much (emotional face and heart emojis). Welsh love always." After the results show aired on Sunday, Amy wrote an emotional post on Instagram in which she thanked Tom for helping "bring (her) back" to herself. "I would have absolutely loved to take you even further, just to share even more of the joy of dancing and the strictly magic with you," she continued. "But I'm leaving with a heart full of gratitude and pride. Thank you. What I've learnt more than ever this past two years what matters, happiness, health and to be grateful to be alive doing what I love." In the comments of their exit video, the businessman heaped praise on "wonderful" and "amazing" Amy before adding, "I'm gutted we didn't go further because you honestly deserved it." Amy attended the BAFTA Cymru Awards in Wales on Sunday night as a nominee for her documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me. However, she lost the Single Documentary award to Helmand: Tour of Duty.