Amy Dowden inspired me to do CoppaFeel! Himalayas trek ..and to get fit

When Dragons' Den star Sara Davies said she had a mountain to climb as part of her fitness drive she was not speaking metaphorically.

- LYDIA VELJANOVSKI

Sara, 40, who has dropped more than three dress sizes in a year, has just finished trekking the Indian Himalayas - and running up and down mountains - to raise money for the breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!

A Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2021, she was inspired to take part by her friend Amy Dowden, a professional dancer for the show who has bravely shared details of her journey from being diagnosed with grade three breast cancer in May 2023 to getting the all clear this year.

"She's a very good friend of mine," says Sara. "I was thinking about her and talking about her a lot when we were trekking."

Amy has revealed how she began checking her breasts after completing a CoppaFeel! trek with podcast host Giovanna Fletcher, leading to her discovering a lump on the day before she went on honeymoon with fellow dancer Ben Jones.

Sara continues: "Detection is what saves lives. It could have been a very different story."

The businesswoman, of Coundon, County Durham, spent four days trekking on the Dhauladhar mountain range from dawn to dusk and navigating treacherous terrain without a comfy bed or showers.

Thanks to her health kick that she has been diligently following since last year, when she was warned by her GP that she was at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Sara was delighted to have been able to bound up and down the precarious paths on the hike.

She says: "It meant I could run up and down that mountain, instead of just being in the line trekking. I was able to check in with people at the front and run back up and down again.