Amber Davies is just days away from the Strictly Come Dancing finale and it’s already been an emotional week for the finalist.
A day after breaking down in tears live on TV, the Love Islander turned West End star, 29, put on a brave face for promo duties at the BBC.
Amber and her dance partner Nikita Kuzmin joined their fellow 2025 finalists Karen Carney, Carlos Gu, George Clarke and Alexis Warr for a press call at BBC HQ in London.
Dressed down in chocolate brown sweats, Amber raised a small smile as she followed a more jubliant-looking Nikita into the event.
On Saturday Amber will go head to head with former footballer Karen and social media star George for the Glitterball Trophy.
The ex reality star was a late replacement on Strictly after Dani Dyer pulled out with a fractured ankle, but her training at London’s prestigious Urdang Academy, a drama school for musical theatre and dance, soon emerged.
A day after breaking down in tears live on TV, Strictly Come Dancing finalist Amber Davies put on a brave face for promo duties at the BBC
She has faced a wave of online trolling over her previous dance experience leading Nikita to issue a heartfelt plea to trolls during last weekend’s live show, during which she secured her place in the finale after defeating Balvinder Sopal in a tense dance-off.
During her appearance on It Takes Two on Tuesday, Amber became emotional as she reflected on her journey on the show.
She told host Fleur East: ‘It makes me wanna cry, honestly. I can’t believe I’m here, just the way that we started. I had this random phone call on a Wednesday night, to being in the final and having the best 12 weeks of my life.’
Struggling to contain her emotions, she continued: ‘I’m just over the moon. I don’t want it to be over. Have we got any tissues?’
Nikita handed her a box of tissues, and Amber dabbed at her eyes before breaking down in tears again.
She added: ‘We are tired, but do you know what? This is the last few days and I’m just so grateful.
‘My alarm went off, sorry, I’m such a crier at the minute because I just love it so much. My alarm went off this morning and I jumped out of bed, because I just thought that this was the last Tuesday.
‘So, I just wanna cherish every single moment that I have left with you. Sorry. Why am I acting like we’re never gonna see each other again? I’m really bad at saying goodbye.
George Clarke and Alexis Warr looked in great spirits as they happily posed for snaps
‘The Strictly bubble is bursting, it came into my life with a vengeance and now it feels like it’s leaving just as quickly.
‘I have loved every single second of it and I’m gonna miss it so much. I’m mourning it now!’
It comes after the BBC and Amber Davies have responded to the furious backlash which accused her of ‘ripping off the routine from her West End show’ on Strictly earlier this month.
During week 11, which aired on December 6, Amber and dance Nikita took to the dance floor to perform their own version of the Charleston to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat from Guys and Dolls as part of Musicals Week.
The pair ended up getting an impressive 40 out of 40.
Amber – who shot to fame on Love Island in 2017 – has become a huge name in the West End, starring in the likes of Pretty Woman, 9 to 5: The Musical, and The Great Gatsby.
She played Jordan Baker in The Great Gasby: A New Musical at the London Coliseum between April and September earlier this year.
Some noticed that she had some similar dance moves to one of the routines she performed in the West End show.
However, this was all deliberately done and was not supposed to ‘rip off her routine’ from the West End show.
Amber said on the Talk of the Townsend podcast: ‘I asked if I could just put a little easter egg because obviously the new money routine went viral on social media.
‘So I just thought it would be like, illegal, for me to not at least put [it in].’
A BBC Spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘This was a new routine choreographed for Strictly Come Dancing, which – as already discussed online – briefly paid tribute to The Great Gatsby as a nod to Musicals Week.’
