BBC Strictly Come Dancing stars Amy Dowden and Rose Ayling-Ellis honoured by the King

Strictly Come Dancing stars Amy Dowden and Rose Ayling-Ellis have been recognised by the King. It has been confirmed that both will be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) after being named in the new King’s Birthday Honours.

The news was revealed on Friday and Amy and Rose join the likes of M People's Heather Small, Countdown star Susie Dent, Coronation Street's Shobna Gulati and actress Imelda Staunton being recognised this year by King Charles III.

Professional dancer Amy Dowden’s sunny personality, lilting Welsh accent and sparkling dance moves may have won her legions of fans as a professional on Strictly, but it has been her health struggles that have endeared her even further to the general public.

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As an advocate and ambassador for the charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK, she has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours for her services to fundraising and raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease.

In 2019, Amy revealed she was suffering from Crohn’s disease, which is described by the NHS as a lifelong condition in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed, and fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn’s And Me, in which she spoke about her battle with the condition and met other people with Crohn’s to hear about their experiences. In January 2022 she was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn’s flare-up while on the Strictly live tour.

She had previously suffered a flare-up in November 2021, shortly after the filming of Strictly