Amber Davies pulls out of Legally Blonde musical mid-show after falling unwell and claiming her physique is ‘preventing for its life’ – as her understudy is compelled to step in amid ‘backstage stress’
Love Island and Strictly star Amber Davies was forced to pull out of a performance of Legally Blonde the musical mid-show after falling ill.
After admitting she is suffering burn-out, the star departed the stage, after which her role as leading lady Elle Woods was resumed by understudy Hannah Lowther.
Italia Conti Academy trained Hannah, who is a TikTok favourite with 1.3m followers, is said to have simmering tensions behind the scenes with peers believing Hannah to be ‘a million times better’, as revealed by Mail+’s Olivia Kemp earlier in the week.
Taking to Instagram after the performance, Amber gave fans a health update, in which she confessed that her appearance in The Great Gatsby, her last-minute call-up to Strictly and her immediate start in Legally Blonde had affected her health.
Alongside a selfie, she penned two lengthy captions explaining that she was fending off illness and taking antibiotics, thus being off-stage indefinitely, however she did not address the mid-stage depature or Hannah.
Love Island and Strictly star Amber Davies was forced to pull out of a performance of Legally Blonde the musical mid-show after falling ill
After admitting she is suffering burn-out, the star departed the stage, after which her role as leading lady Elle Woods was resumed by understudy Hannah Lowther (pictured last year)
Fans took to TikTok to laud Hannah for stepping in, with an audience member sharing a clip from the show and writing: ‘Hannah Lowther went from Margot to Elle mid show in act 1 this afternoon! She’s a superhero!!!’
Fans swarmed TikTok to comment on Amber’s depature, while Hannah, who usually plays Margot, Elle’s friend, in the musical based on the 2001 film.
Keen to explain her absence to fans, Amber’s Instagram announcement read: ‘Ok update: After talking to my doctor, being on antibiotics and trying to recover whilst doing shows is getting me and my health NOWHERE…
‘Been working on this lingering illness for a month now so I’ll be off again from my beautiful Elle Woods… This is the last thing I want but there’s no other way…
‘I fear if I keep “pushing through”. I will be battling with this for longer than I need to be. I can’t wait to be back on stage and feel like me again!!! Thank you – Amber x’.
She continued in another post: ‘Also I keep having to remind myself I went from Gatsby, to a last min Strictly then to Elle so my body’s evidently fighting for its life…
‘I also keep reminding myself that it’s ok to be poorly, we are human. Just a reminder there’s absolutely never a right time to be poorly in a musical theatre schedule’.
Fans took to TikTok to laud Hannah for stepping in, with an audience member sharing a clip from the show and writing: ‘Hannah Lowther went from Margot to Elle mid show in act 1 this afternoon! She’s a superhero!!!’
The user also penned a caption reading: ‘Unfortunately Amber Davies became unwell during the show today so Hannah Lowther had to switch from Margot to Elle! I love covers/swings/Alts’.
Amber’s departure will no doubt only further her reported tensions with Hannah, who covers the Thursday matinee of the travelling show, while Amber peforms seven shows a week.
Insiders exclusively revealed to Mail+ that the growing attention surrounding Hannah’s performances has become difficult for the show’s cast to ignore.
Taking to Instagram after the performance, Amber gave fans a health update, in which she confessed that her appearance in The Great Gatsby, her last-minute call-up to Strictly and her immediate start in Legally Blonde had affected her health
The source said: ‘Everyone backstage is professional, but it would be fair to say the atmosphere between the two girls can be a bit tense at times. When an “alternate” starts getting that much praise online, it inevitably becomes a talking point.’
Last month, when Amber, 29, was ill and forced to miss several performances while on antibiotics, Hannah stepped in – and the reaction online was immediate and brutal.
‘Hannah’s energy is unmatched,’ commented one user, while another said: ‘Amber gives us nothing while Hannah gives us everything.’
Last month, Amber left audience members shocked when during a public first preview performance she was seen briefly losing track of the choreography ande left looking across the stage at Hannah to copy her movements.
Within hours, the clip – filmed by an audience member – had circulated widely online, prompting Amber to address her fluffed routine in a TikTok video, describing the moment as ‘embarrassing’.
She explained: ‘I forgot there was a dance break coming. I feel like you can see me looking at Hannah and copy what she does with her hands. So yeah, that’s embarrassing, that’s going to be in the public domain for the rest of my working career.’
Last month, Amber came under fire for ‘forgetting her choreography’
