Strictly Come Dancing star Amber Davies has responded to discussion around her previous dance experience, having preemptively addressed critics before her participation in the show was even announced. In this week's episode of her Call To Stage podcast, recorded when she was yet to officially sign up, the star predicted her prior training would be a hot topic - and clarified what she is and isn't already adept at.
For those in need of a catch-up, Amber was drafted in to compete after fellow Love Island alum Dani Dyer was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.
The multi-talented 28-year-old, who had been announced as the lead in a new touring production of Legally Blonde just days before, was confirmed for the line-up a mere one day ahead of last weekend's first live show.
As with many musically-inclined contestants before her, she has since been the subject of much chatter over her pre-existing skills - and was quick to clear up what she is and isn't formally educated in.
"I feel like I know there will be, like, [people saying] 'she's trained, she's trained'," she said.
"Yes, I did train in musical theatre. However, I am a beginner when it comes to ballroom [and] latin dancing. So I feel like I will be starting from scratch. I will give it my all."
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Amber and Nikita's Waltz scored an impressive score of 27 out of 40 on Saturday night, putting them in joint third place on the leaderboard alongside Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley.
Only Karen Carney and Carlos Gu, who scored 31, and Lewis Cope and Katya Jones, who got 28, ranked higher.
Explaining how she got the last-minute call, Amber told listeners: "I have just had the most craziest 12 hours of my life. I'm laying in bed last night, I get a call from my agent. It's 9:30, I see him pop up on my phone, and I'm like, 'what the hell is going on?'
"I answer and he's like, 'Hi Amber, are you available for a meeting tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning?' And I was like, 'yes, for what?' And he said, 'to potentially replace Dani Dyer on Strictly Come Dancing.' I said, 'excuse me?'; I said, 'pardon?'; I said, 'please repeat that?'
"Anyway, lo and behold, I have just come from the meeting with the producers... we had a Zoom meeting. By the time this comes out, I'll know whether I'm doing it or not."
Sure enough, she's doing it - and she and Nikita will be dancing a Samba to 'Bam Bam' by Camila Cabello featuring Ed Sheeran this weekend.
Meanwhile, Nikita has paid heartfelt tribute to Dani, saying on-air on Saturday's show: "I just want to mention Dani, because Dani... Dani is such a sweet girl, and it was a really, really sad moment. Dani, if you're watching, I hope we can get to finish our quickstep one day. I love you lots."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Read more Strictly news on our dedicated homepage.
Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.
