‘I AM A BEGINNER’: Strictly’s Amber Davies hits back at trolls amid West End row
Strictly Come Dancing was thrown into a ‘fix’ controversy after injured Dani Dyer was replaced by West End performer Amber Davies. However, Amber has stressed that while she may have stage experience, she’s still a beginner when it comes to ballroom dancing.
“I feel like I know they will be like, ‘She’s trained’,” she said, pre-empting complaints she has an unfair advantage. “Yes, I did train in musical theatre, however, I am a beginner when it comes to ballroom Latin dancing. So I feel like I will be starting from scratch. I mean, I’ll give it my all.” She pleaded: “Please vote for me. Please, I beg.”
The Love Island star and theatre actress stepped in for Dani when she was forced to pull out of the competition due to a fractured ankle she suffered during rehearsals, the Mirror reports.
Since then she has faced accusations of being miles ahead of the other contestants due to her dance experience. This follows comments from Camilla Kerslake, wife of rugby star Chris Robshaw, who criticised the calibre of celebrities participating this year.
Earlier this week, reports revealed that West End performer Amber Davies had previously met with BBC executives about joining Strictly, but was told her dance experience was too extensive.
A graduate of a performing arts college with a professional diploma in musical theatre, Amber was called in at the last minute to replace Dani and took to the dance floor two days later alongside professional partner Nikita Kuzmin over the weekend.
Speaking on her podcast, Call To Stage, Amber recalled the phone call from her agent regarding joining the show. She explained: “It’s 9.30, I see him pop up on my phone and I’m like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ And he’s like, ‘Hi, Amber, are you available for a meeting tomorrow at 10 in the morning?’ He said to potentially replace Dani Dyer on Strictly. I said, excuse me? I said, pardon? I said, please repeat that.”
Reflecting on a recent moment of uncertainty about turning 30, 28-year-old Amber said the show has arrived at the perfect time.
“I just feel like this, the whole Strictly thing, like going into my last year of my 20s doing Strictly Come Dancing would be f**king iconic. I had a full on wobble, and I was like, I was just thinking about of all my 20s and like winning Love Island at 20 years old,” she stated.
It has been a wild couple of weeks for Amber, who announced last week she was playing the role of Elle in Legally Blonde The Musical.
“I honestly think I have some amazing angels up there who are pulling all the right strings. I’ve worked my a*** off and I feel like it’s like being rewarded in some way, you know?”
Talking about her Broadway dreams, Amber says she’s one step closer to making them a reality. She revealed: “My American Visa, we’ve got to update them on that. We are in the process of getting me one. I mean, what’s really good with that is that I can actually then get myself US representation and maybe my freaking Broadway dreams will come true.”
