Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden MBE is on a mission — and it’s one that could save lives. Teaming up with Gemma Ainger, Amy has helped launch My Breast Friend, a free new app designed to make checking your breasts, chest or pecs a simple monthly routine.

The app, now available on the App Store and Google Play, sends friendly reminders to perform self-checks and lets users log any changes privately. With 1 in 7 women in the UK likely to develop breast cancer in their lifetime, it’s an innovation that could make a life-saving difference.

1. Inspired by a Missed Check

Gemma Ainger was 42 when she was diagnosed with stage 3 invasive breast cancer that had already spread to her lymph nodes. She admits she rarely checked herself and only noticed something unusual one day in the shower. “If I had caught it sooner,” she says, “my treatment could have been easier and my outcome more positive.” Determined to help others avoid the same fate, she created My Breast Friend — a friendly, empowering tool that helps users stay in tune with their bodies.

2. Amy Dowden Is the Perfect Partner

After her own breast cancer diagnosis, Amy Dowden has become one of the UK’s most passionate advocates for early detection. “When Gemma told me about My Breast Friend it was exactly what I had been looking for — something simple and positive people can do to remind them to check monthly, know their bodies, and act early,” Amy says. “It could literally save your life.”

3. It’s a Friendly App With a Serious Purpose

My Breast Friend is simple, supportive, and stigma-free. It sends monthly reminders and encourages users to make self-checks as routine as brushing their teeth. Backed by breast health professionals and legal experts, the app was built with input from Consultant Breast and Oncoplastic Surgeon Debashis Ghosh and Clinical Nurse Specialist Gillian, who call it “a great tool for monthly breast checks” and “a stitch in time that saves nine.”

4. It’s Turning Awareness Into Action

Gemma and Amy’s goal is to make self-checking a normal part of everyday life. They want to see the app used in schools, workplaces, and communities to encourage lifelong breast health awareness. “It’s not about fear or cancer,” Gemma says. “It’s about self-care, awareness and confidence. We should all know what’s normal for our own bodies.”

5. It’s Completely Free — and Could Save a Life

My Breast Friend is free to download now from the App Store and Google Play. You can also visit the official website at www.mybreastfriend.health.  Because knowing your body — and checking regularly — could be the most important habit you ever form.