Amber Davies seemed a bit anxious when she first danced on Strictly Come Dancing with her professional partner, Nikita Kuzmin, during Saturday night’s live show.
The Love Island star replaced Dani Dyer after she was forced to pull out due to an ankle injury.
I’ve been watching the show, and it’s meant to be about celebrities learning to dance with pros, but honestly, it seems like this particular contestant – the one who used to be on Love Island and has performed on the West End – already knows what she’s doing! She’s clearly got a background in dance, and it’s pretty obvious.
She’s starred in major musical productions like The Great Gatsby and 9 to 5, and she’s also worked as a dancer at the Cirque Le Soir nightclub in London.
Amber is a trained performer with qualifications in musical theatre and dance. She earned a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre and Dance, studied dance in school as part of her GCSEs, and received further training at Danceworld Stage School.
As a teenager, she studied musical theatre at Urdang Academy, a performing arts school.
Chris Robshaw, the former England rugby captain, and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova started off the first live show with a Samba performance set to EMF’s “Unbelievable.” The judges awarded them a score of 14.
Alex Kingston and professional dancer Johannes Radebe performed a Viennese waltz to Michael Bublé’s “Cry Me a River” and received a score of 21.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who competed on Gladiators as ‘Nitro,’ and his dance partner Karen Hauer performed a Cha Cha Cha to Salt-N-Pepa’s ‘Push It.’ The judges gave them a score of 19.
Oh my gosh, I still can’t believe how amazing Amber was on Dancing On Ice last year! She seriously blew everyone away, making it all the way to fifth place – and with Simon, of course! They were such a fantastic pair, I was obsessed with watching them skate every week!
From what I’m hearing, the celebrities involved are really putting on a brave face and trying to stay positive. They’re keen to avoid appearing difficult to the show’s producers, so they’re keeping any frustrations under wraps. It’s all part of the game, you know – maintaining a good image and keeping things professional, even when it’s tough!
However, people are quietly saying it’s unfair that the competition now features two very skilled dancers with a lot of performance experience.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following this situation closely, and honestly, the concern is understandable. When you have one contestant with a significant advantage due to their background, it’s one thing. But having *two* contestants with that same advantage? It starts to feel unfair to the others, especially if they both make it to the finale. It just doesn’t create a level playing field, and viewers are right to question it.
A BBC representative said they have seen no proof supporting the story, nor any indication that the source of the claim has any connection to the show.
Dani, the winner of Love Island, unfortunately broke her ankle while practicing for another competition, which sadly forced her to withdraw.
Dani confirmed she injured herself during Friday’s rehearsals, explaining she fell and landed awkwardly.
I initially thought I just sprained my ankle, but it got much worse over the weekend. An MRI scan yesterday confirmed I actually fractured it.
It turns out dancing the quickstep with a broken bone wasn’t a good idea! The doctors have told me I can’t dance, so unfortunately I’ve had to withdraw from the show.
Honestly, I’m absolutely devastated! I’m going to miss seeing Nikita dance so much, but I’ll definitely be glued to the TV, cheering on all the other couples. I’ll be their biggest fan, even without Nikita on the dance floor!
Sarah James from BBC Studios commended Dani for her energetic and positive contributions to the show, and the production team expressed their hope that she’ll return to compete again.
Interestingly, Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope is already an experienced dancer. He first learned to dance when he played a role in the West End production of Billy Elliott.
You might be surprised to learn this talented performer actually got his start on television! He was part of a dance crew called Ruff Diamond when they appeared on Sky’s ‘Got To Dance’ – it’s amazing to see how far he’s come!
Lewis, with Ruff Diamond, reached the final of the 2013 series and finished in fourth place.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who competed as ‘Nitro’ on the show Gladiators, is also a skilled dancer.
Although the Team GB sprinter hasn’t danced professionally, he appeared on the 2024 Strictly Christmas special with Nancy Xu. This experience might help him pick up the dance routines during rehearsals.
EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal shared that she used to enjoy Latin and ballroom dancing as a pastime.
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2025-09-27 21:34