 In 2002, he was the recipient of the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, given by the British Critics' Circle at a celebration of the national dance awards for the previous year.Dowell has always been circumspect about his sexuality, but it is common knowledge that, soon after graduating from the Royal Ballet School in 1960, he began a romantic relationship with Derek Rencher (1932–2014), a handsome Royal Ballet dancer nine years his senior.They often shared the Covent Garden stage, as Rencher was a powerful and popular character dancer and actor.