Amber Davies has broken her silence on the backlash from Strictly Come Dancing fans over her previous dance experience. The former Love Island star, 29, who has performed in West End musicals including Pretty Woman and Back To The Future, appeared on This Morning on Wednesday to address criticism that she has an unfair advantage on the BBC show.
Asked by hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley whether it was fair for trained performers to compete alongside novices, Davies argued that musical theatre is 'worlds apart' from ballroom dancing. 'The ballroom and Latin community know that musical theatre is worlds apart,' she said. Her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin added that even simple steps can be 'really difficult' to learn.
However, the defence backfired online, with furious fans taking to social media to reject her claims. One wrote: 'She’s trained in musical theatre. She’s as close to a professional as you can get. The show has lost its way.' Another said: 'She's desperate to win, just like she was on Dancing on Ice.'
Davies replaced injured Dani Dyer just days before the first live show after Dyer fractured her ankle in training. A source claimed other celebrities felt it was unfair that the line-up now included two dancers with substantial stage experience. However, a BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'We’ve been shown absolutely no evidence to suggest that this story is true.'
Davies holds a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre and Dance, took dance as a GCSE subject, and trained at Danceworld Stage School. She also competed on ITV's Dancing On Ice in 2024.
