'When someone's bullying online and someone takes their own life it's kind of manslaughter... it's awful'

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has called for online trolls to face criminal charges for the misery their bullying brings.

-  Nicola Methven

The pro dancer, 34, who missed last year's series after being diagnosed with the most aggressive form of breast cancer, was called an "attention seeker" for sharing her story in the hope of helping others with the disease.

Some even mocked her for having caught her own cancer relatively early, at stage two.

Such "horrible, mean and nasty" comments directed at her as she was treated in hospital had a huge impact despite the majority of messages being filled with love and support from concerned fans.

Amy, who underwent gruelling chemotherapy after being diagnosed in spring last year, said: "They said I was a narcissist and an attention seeker. It was, 'It's not even stage four'. They said I should hide away and get on with it on my own and asked why I felt the need to dance around in my garden when I shaved my head.

"Well, I was with my friends and we were trying to make the best of the situation."

Amy, whose new documentary about her cancer treatment airs on Monday, said: "I wouldn't want anyone else to receive the messages I did. Sometimes I was up at 2am and I couldn't sleep because the steroids were keeping me up.