STRICTLY’S Oti Mabuse has come to the defence of the show’s new signing Amber Davies after she faced backlash for being a trained dancer.
Fans were in uproar over the replacement for injured star Dani Dyer because of her vast West End dance experience.
Oti Mabuse has come to the defence of new Strictly signing Amber Davies[/caption]
Amber Davies faced backlash for being a trained dancer[/caption]
Fans were in uproar over Amber Davies being a replacement for injured star Dani Dyer[/caption]
Former Love Island star Amber Davies rose to fame on the ITV2 dating show and has gone onto play lead roles in multiple West End shows.
Amber will be replacing fellow Love Islander Dani Dyer and partnering up with Nikita Kuzmin, but Strictly-lovers have been left unhappy over her dancing experience.
Amid the backlash over Amber’s background, former Strictly pro and Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse has jumped to her defence.
Taking to TikTok, Oti – who judged Amber on the 2024 series of Dancing on Ice – said: “I just saw that Amber Davies is doing Strictly. Yes I am so excited!
“Okay. I definitely do think that Strictly they, genuinely from the bottom of their heart they tried to have a non dance experience series, where like very few of them have dance experience and it just flipped and it just turned out that a few of them have it.
“But the ones who have dance experience are genuinely the ones that set the standard, they’re the ones that create those incredible routines.
“Like Amber I know her obviously from Love Island, but even more getting to know her from Dancing On Ice… She’s amazing.
“She was very nervous to be on ice because it was very scary, but on land she’s going to slay and it’s very exciting. I can’t wait. I think this is Nikita’s chance now to be amazing to create very creative choreography, new choreography.
“This is his chance to maybe even make lifts that we haven’t seen. Definitely I think those would be my favorites so far.”
Oti went on to predict her Glitterball finalists, she chimed: “ This is my prediction, after watching it might change but here’s my final Katya with Lewis (Cope), Nikita with Amber (Davies), Karen and Harry (Aikines-Aryeetey).
She ended the video by saying: “This is very exciting news. I hope you guys enjoy the show.”
The dancer also captioned the video: “@amber_davies7 so happy for you queen!!! Slay (followed by fire emojis).
Brunette beauty Amber rose to fame after winning the third series of Love Island alongside ex-boyfriend Kem Cetinay in 2017.
Before Love Island, she turned down a part in a West End production of Hairspray – then returned to her acting roots.
Since then, the former ITV2 dating show contestant has transformed from reality star to leading lady on stage.
The Welsh beauty made her West End debut in Dolly Parton-inspired show 9-5 alongside Bonnie Langford, Louise Redknapp and Brian Conley at the Savoy Theatre.
Strictly stars who’ve been forced to pull out
Here is a full list of stars who have been forced to quit the long-running BBC show
Dani Dyer (series 23) – forced to pull out of the competition after suffering an ankle injury in rehearsals
Kristian Nairn (series 23) – forced to pull out of the competition on medical grounds
Nick Knowles (series 22) – eliminated from the show following injury
Amanda Abbington (series 21) – pulled out of the competition due to “personal reasons”
Tony Adams (series 20) – pulled out of the competition after sustaining an injury
Nicola Adams (series 18) – axed after partner Katya Jones tested positive for COVID-19
Will Bayley (series 17) – pulled out of the competition after sustaining a knee injury
Jamie Laing (series 17) – pulled out of the competition after suffering a foot injury in rehearsals
Will Young (series 14) – quit the show after struggles with mental and physical health
Jade Johnson (series 7) – pulled out after suffering a knee injury in rehearsals
John Sergeant (series 6) – quit the show despite public popularity after flailing in the leaderboards
Kell Brook (series 5) – pulled out following the death of her father Kenneth
Jimmy Tarbuck (series 4) – pulled out following doctors advice
She recently revealed she would be playing Elle Woods in the upcoming Legally Blonde UK tour.
In the 2024 series of Dancing on Ice, Amber competed on the show and was the eighth celebrity to be eliminated.
Speaking about signing up for the show, Amber said: “This has been the craziest 24 hours of my life. I’ve watched Strictly with my family since I was younger and to now be part of the show is a dream come true.
“I’m going to give it my all and I am sending Dani well wishes for a speedy recovery. I hope I do her proud.”
In the 2024 series of Dancing on Ice Amber competed on the show[/caption]
Oti jumped to Amber’s defence on TikTok[/caption]
The former ITV2 dating show contestant has transformed from reality star to leading lady on stage[/caption]
