Strictly's Amy Dowden says dancing in her lounge helped her through chemo

Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden has said even the smallest dance moves improved her bone strength and mental health during her cancer treatment.

The 35-year-old joined a dance class for over-60s in Swansea aimed at improving strength and balance to reduce the risk of falls.

It comes as a new report has found participation in arts programmes designed to improve physical health and wellbeing saves the Welsh NHS £26m a year.

Dowden stressed the benefits of dancing "no matter what age" for improving flexibility, strength and confidence.

She has been a Strictly professional since 2017 and was diagnosed with grade three breast cancer in 2023, after finding a lump the day before her honeymoon.

"When I was going through chemotherapy, if I could just do a little cha-cha in my lounge or get my body moving, it just made me feel so much better and if it wasn't for dancing, I'm not sure I would have got back as fit and healthy as I am now," Dowden said.

The star from Caerphilly, who has had Crohns disease from a young age, believes "not enough" is done to promote the benefits of dance.

"For me, dancing has got me through the toughest of times and even when I couldn't dance, even being able to watch it made me feel so much better as well.

"We've got to get our bodies moving. You could be sat down in a chair, you can participate as little or as much as you want and actually seeing the progression over the weeks is just as rewarding for a teacher as for those taking part."

A national dance programme could save the NHS in Wales £5m a year, according to a new report published by the Arts Council of Wales.

A saving of £17m could also be made if 5% of all adult mental health GP appointments were avoided following engagement in an arts programme, according to research by health economists at Bangor University.

Joining a weekly dance group has helped Sylvie Evans, 69, recover from a knee injury.

"I've had physio for a year and obviously doing the dancing as well - I think I'll hopefully avoid an operation now, so that'll probably save the NHS thousands," she said.

"But the social interaction is really important. Some people come because they've had to get over a bereavement or perhaps have had ill health and we're all friends here and supportive."

As someone who is visually impaired and has poor balance, Judith Lombardo said attending the Dance to Health class for the past three years has made her "more sturdy" on her feet.

"Nobody judges you and everybody is so friendly. Even my [guide] dog loves it here," she added.

The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) supports more than 80 arts organisations a year which have helped to deliver a benefit of at least £588m in savings and economic productivity, researchers found.

Its chief executive Dafydd Rhys said: "The arts are delivering real, tangible health benefits for people and communities and now we have the independent, robust evidence to prove it."

The Welsh government added: "We have increased our spend for the broader culture sector by 8.5% this year and tripled investment in venues and sites compared to a decade ago.

"Our draft budget for 2026-27 has already been published, with over £33.5m revenue and an increased capital allocation for the arts."