STRICTLY Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden said her wedding to partner Ben Jones was more than she had ever dreamt of, following a star-studded ceremony in South Wales.
Caerphilly-born Dowden, 31, joined the BBC dance competition show in 2017.
Speaking about marrying fellow professional dancer Jones, Dowden told Hello! magazine: “It was a day I’d dreamt of since I was a little girl and, well, it was even more than that.”
“Amy looked beautiful,” her new husband said.
“And having a member of McFly singing at our wedding was obviously a highlight.”
The occasion featured a performance by Dowden’s former Strictly dance partner and member of British boyband McFly, Tom Fletcher.
Also in attendance were an array of Strictly stars including fellow professional Dianne Buswell, who served as Dowden’s bridesmaid.
Former Strictly dancers Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec, 2021 contestant Sara Davies, Strictly professional Katya Jones, judge Craig Revel Horwood and Dowden’s past celebrity partners: Fletcher, JJ Chalmers, Colin Jackson and Brian Conley were all also on the star-studded guest list.
Dowden and Jones became engaged on New Year’s Eve in 2017 after Jones proposed while the pair were performing the rumba to a crowd during an event at the dance academy they run together.
Despite regularly performing in front of large audiences, Dowden revealed she was particularly nervous about walking down the aisle.
“I dance in front of millions but I was nervous to walk down the aisle.”
“I felt like a Disney princess,” she added.
Dowden explained the thought process behind Fletcher, 36, performing McFly hit All About You during the ceremony.
She said: “I originally asked Tom to sing as I walked up the aisle, but he told me he always cries at weddings, so I wanted to let him enjoy the ceremony.”
“I talked so much wedding talk with him last year, so it’s nice that he’s part of this special moment.”
Although she was nervous to walk down the aisle, Dowden revealed she and Jones felt no pressure when it came to performing their first dance.
“We’re used to dancing on stage but this felt easy,” said Jones.
“We didn’t choreograph anything because we knew it would become work,” said Dowden. “Imagine a chef cooking on her wedding day.”
She also confirmed that although she will officially become Mrs Dowden-Jones, she plans to keep Dowden as her stage name on Strictly.
“I wanted to go with Dowden-Jones because if we’re lucky enough to have a family in the future, I’d love to have the same name as my children,” she said.
The full interview with Amy Dowden is available in this week’s Hello! magazine on newsstands now.
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