As she makes it through Blackpool and into the home straight, the Love Island star says she’s learned loads from being on the BBC show and gained a ton of confidence

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Amber and Nikita are hoping their jive on Saturday will be their best dance yet(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy Levy)

Amber Davies is the first to admit she can’t believe her luck at being invited onto Strictly Come Dancing, eight years after she won Love Island. Having appeared on TV very little since, she was parachuted in as a last-minute replacement for crocked Dani Dyer, just as she was starting a four month break ahead of a theatre tour next year.

Now ten weeks into the BBC ballroom show, she’s reached her goal of making it to Blackpool week – thought she admits she had severe doubts she could achieve it. “I never thought I’d be able to do this, I didn’t think I was relevant enough,” she confesses.

“I’ve been a fan of Strictly all my life, so it’s an absolute honour for me. I haven’t been on telly much, I’ve been in the musical theatre world, and when I first went on telly I was so young. So it’s lovely to be given this opportunity to show people who I am now.”

Amber, aged 20, with Love Island boyfriend Kem in 2017(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Amber was just 20 when she won the £50,000 prize on ITV’s Love Island with former boyfriend Kem Cetinay in 2017 and has since appeared in a string of West End musicals including 9 to 5, Back to the Future and The Great Gatsby

When poor Dani broke a bone in her foot during early rehearsals, Amber was just gearing up for a big old rest. “I was so ready for four months off,” she laughs. “But Strictly called and I just thought, ‘I can’t say no to that – I’ll sleep when I’m dead!’ From the end of Gatsby I had 10 days before the call came from Strictly and I managed to go on holiday for a week. So it feels like fate.”

A naturally skilled performer, she has received the inevitable criticism from some fans for having too much experience, but her pro partner Nikita Kuzmin says that those moans are unfair. “I think that Amber’s growth has been under-appreciated,” he declares in her defence. “Of course she was great when she started but she is developing Latin and ballroom skills that she simply didn’t have and she is working her bottom off every day.

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Amber and Nikita have notched up several 10s over the weeks, and topped the leaderboard with their paso doble earlier this month(Image: PA)

“By the time we come to the Saturday, and everybody sees the final product, it’s the result of a ridiculous amount of work. Yes, she’s a great dancer and I’m not denying that we are developing pre-existing skills, but she is still learning all the time.” And he adds: “The show needs a mix of abilities. We need great people and we need novices.”

Amber says she takes it all in her stride. “I’ve never done Latin or ballroom before – and they are extremely hard. You have to learn a routine, scrap it, learn another one. My brain has been the most worked that it’s been since I was doing my GCSEs at school. I think it’s under appreciated how much you learn and how much the pros put in to you.”

She hopes she’s done enough to keep the BBC audience onside for a bit longer. “I think because of how we started our journey so quickly, we were on the back foot compared to everybody else. My goal, after week two, was that I’d love to get to Blackpool. That was a big thing, I really wanted to dance on that ballroom floor and obviously we got there and it was the best experience ever. So anything now is basically a bonus.”

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Nikita’s girlfriend is model Lauren Jaine(Image: Getty Images)

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Amber’s boyfriend is fellow theatre star Ben Joyce(Image: WireImage)

This week they have the jive, one of Strictly’s fastest dances, and – just like Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez in 2017 – they will perform it to the iconic song Proud Mary. “I’m actually surprised that they’ve used it only once before,” Nikita says. “A lot of songs have been used four or five times over the 20 years. Proud Mary is probably the best jive song in the world, in my opinion.” Amber, for one, is loving it. “The jive is the toughest routine we’ve done, for sure, but I love jiving, The song brings out the feel-good in everyone, we’ve had it on all week but it’s one you just can’t get bored of.”

She takes videos of their training sessions home to show boyfriend Ben Joyce, a fellow West End actor, because he likes to give his own critiques. “I have a Craig at home!” she laughs. “He is very involved, he likes to see the progression. He’s getting more and more invested.” She knows he isn’t really qualified for giving advice, but she appreciates his support nonetheless. “He doesn’t know Latin and ballroom, but when he says it’s really good, I do listen.”

Early speculation that Nikita and Amber were romantically involved has been firmly quashed by the pair of them – Nikita also has a long-term partner, in the shape of model Lauren Jaine. “I think it was always going to be us who would get those type of headlines because of our age,” Ambers sighs. “It’s sad that a female and male can’t be creative together and put on a performance without getting rumours thrown at us. We love our partners and I love his partner and he loves my partner! That’s all that matter to us.” “Everybody is a silly billy,” Nikita agrees.

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The dancer partners say their is no romance between them but they do have ‘unconditional love and respect’(Image: PA)

They do admit to having “unconditional love and respect” for each other, but claim that their daily bickering over mealtimes makes them more like siblings. “She asked me today if she could have lunch at 9.50am,” he marvels. “I hadn’t even had breakfast by then.”

She believes that the competition will help her to cope with the rigours of the showbiz industry going forward. “I am quite self critical and what Nikita has taught me is to be proud of the work I’ve put in and to just be resilient,” she says. “And to enjoy the ride, as well.”

The judges’ comments have also helped to toughen her up. “All their experience in life means their critiques are worth their weight in gold,” she says earnestly. “I will take everything they say on, for the rest of my career.”

NIkita and Amber attended The Mirror’s Pride of Britain last month(Image: PA)

With just a few weeks to go before the final hits BBC1 next month, the big question is – can they go all the way and get a shot at that glitterball trophy? Amber, who certainly has the talent to reach the final having already received 10s in the scoring for her paso doble and her salsa, says she simply isn’t allowing herself to think about it. ”I’m not going there yet. I feel like I can’t believe I’m at week 10,” she insists firmly.

But Nikita, who joined the show in 2021 and has yet to win, looks pretty hopeful as he sits next to her on the sofa for our video call. “I’ve never done it,” he sighs. “I wish.”