Did Strictly’s Anton Du Beke score Amber Davies low to prevent backlash? After her controversial last-minute step in left stars ‘furious’

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Because Amber Davies is a professional dancer, many people expected her to have an edge when she joined Strictly Come Dancing, leading to questions about whether it was fair.

It wasn’t a surprise when the 28-year-old impressed viewers on Saturday night’s show. She’d only learned she was competing 24 hours earlier, stepping in for the injured Dani Dyer, 29.

It was so strange! Everyone in the audience was absolutely loving the performance, giving a huge round of applause, but the judge, Anton Du Beke, actually gave them a lower score. It just didn’t seem to match what we were all feeling!

Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Shirley Ballas – aged 60, 44, and 65 respectively – each awarded dancer Miss Davies a score of seven for her waltz with professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, praising her performance.

Former professional dancer Anton Du Beke, 59, known for typically giving high scores on the show, surprisingly gave one contestant only a six, even though he admitted the performance was enjoyable.

Despite a less-than-ideal score, he complimented the performance, saying it felt wonderful and he was excited to see what came next, predicting it would be truly beautiful.

In contrast, Thomas Skinner, age 34 and known from The Apprentice, received a score of five from Du Beke. This led one viewer to tweet that Du Beke considering Amber Davies only one point better than Skinner was foolish.

After the show concluded, Ms. Davies scored 27, which placed her behind Lewis Cope with 28 and Karen Carney with 31.

The professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing were reportedly very upset when Amy Dyer had to leave the show due to a broken ankle and was replaced by former Love Island contestant, Millie Davies.

Ms. Davies is a seasoned performer with starring roles in musicals like The Great Gatsby and 9 To 5. She’s also worked as a dancer at London’s Cirque Le Soir. Some critics suggest the judging panel had to deliberately avoid giving her excessively high scores.

The Mail on Sunday reported that she was rejected from Strictly Come Dancing twice because judges felt she was already a skilled dancer.

But following Ms Dyer’s accident they needed someone ‘ballroom ready’ quickly.

Ms. Davies shared that she was unexpectedly hired at 9 p.m. on Friday, joking, ‘I went from watching *Strictly* to being a contestant overnight! It’s crazy.’

Honestly, it drove me crazy learning that the show’s bosses *wanted* celebrities who couldn’t dance! They weren’t interested in hiring pros, they wanted to watch people *learn* on the show, right there in front of us! It was about the journey, not the skill, and it was so frustrating because I would have loved to see some real dancers compete!

Ms. Davies trained in musical theatre at The Urdang Academy in London, earning a professional diploma.

By the end of 2021, and following a BBC meeting, she had spent most of 2019 performing as Judy Bernly in the West End production of 9 To 5: The Musical.

Last year, Ms. Davies competed on the ITV show Dancing On Ice, and now she’s the frontrunner to win the competition.

According to a source, the celebrities involved are attempting to remain positive despite backstage frustrations, and they’re trying to hide their dissatisfaction from the show’s producers.

However, people are quietly saying it’s not fair that the competition now features two very skilled dancers with a lot of performance experience.

It’s unusual to have one celebrity with that kind of experience, but having two raises concerns about fairness, especially if they both make it to the final round.

A BBC spokesperson stated that they have seen no proof supporting the story or indicating that the source of the information has any connection to the show.

The choice to cast her is similar to the situation last year when Layton Williams, a musical theatre performer, finished as a runner-up on the show. However, a representative for Strictly Come Dancing stated they have no record of Ms. Davies ever being turned down in previous auditions.

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2025-09-29 00:04