Amber Davies was forced to scrap a dangerous lift from her Strictly Come Dancing routine after sleepless nights and stress, admitting the intense rehearsals have left her completely exhausted
Strictly Come Dancing star Amber Davies has admitted she ditched a high-risk move from her Argentine Tango after days of stress and sleepless nights.
The 29-year-old, partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin, had planned an ambitious lift that had never been attempted on the BBC show before but ultimately decided it was too risky to perform live.
Amber explained: “We had one big lift that wasn’t working, we were in panic mode, but we are Team Chaos – that’s what we’ve called ourselves. It’s a big, giant lift that’s never been done on Strictly before.
“I’ve had a few sleepless nights and woken up with heart palpitations. We were only getting it right one out of five times, and we just can’t go into the live show with a risk like that. It’s ten times harder than any other routine we’ve ever done.”
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She added: “I didn’t realise there were so many rules and regulations when it comes to different styles of dance.”
The West End performer admitted that the intense training schedule has left her physically drained. “My left leg is black and blue, if you’ve got a bruise you’re doing well,” she told The Sun.
“I’m training 9am to 6pm Monday to Thursday, but if Nikita sees I’ve gone dead behind the eyes, he’ll send me home early. He’s strict but makes sure I’m coping mentally and physically.”
Amber confessed she’s been eating “ten times more than Nikita” to keep her energy up. “I am ravenous constantly. I could eat for Britain. I’m eating five bananas a day, if he gives me two minutes to sip water, I’ll yomp a banana down. I’m eating so many carbs too.”
The former Love Island star joined the competition unexpectedly after Dani Dyer withdrew in week two due to a fractured ankle and Amber had just six hours of rehearsal before her debut.
“The opportunity came up in the most chaotic way,” she said. “I was on the show within 24 hours. I never met with the Strictly team before, so when I got the call, my agent told me to sit down.
“It took my breath away. On that first performance, the only way I got through it was looking in Nikita’s eyes. My body was numb from head to toe. He said I was shaking like a leaf. I don’t even remember it.”
Amber also praised her boyfriend, musical theatre actor Ben Joyce, for supporting her during the gruelling weeks of training.
“My gorgeous boyfriend looks after me, he runs me a bath every night, cooks dinner and gives me a foot rub when I get home,” she said.
Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight at 7.15pm on BBC and BBC iPlayer.
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