Amber Davies’ Charleston presents extra ammunition to Strictly followers who suppose she’s too good a dancer as actress copies routine she first carried out on the West End stage: KATIE HIND
Ever since she signed on for Strictly, actress Amber Davies has insisted her vast experience in West End musicals gives her little advantage, because she is a novice to ballroom and Latin dancing.
The 29-year-old last week said that viewers had ‘no idea’ what she puts her ‘mind and body through’ as she is regularly compared to the show’s professionals because of her dance training.
But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Ms Davies’ routine last week, a Charleston to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat from Guys And Dolls, is the same as a routine she performed when starring in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum earlier this year.
No wonder she was handed the maximum four tens from the judges.
Astonishing footage shows the former Love Island star performing exactly the same movements she used in the BBC showpiece in the West End. It appears to be proof that she does have a huge advantage over her rivals.
During The Great Gatsby’s New Money song, Ms Davies leads a routine dressed in a dark green bodice and black satin trousers. It appears identical to her dance on Strictly.
The footage was taken from West End Live, a major event in Trafalgar Square on June 21 showcasing stage hits.
Ms Davies played Jordan Baker in the show based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel from April to September. She has also previously appeared in West End musicals based on 9 To 5, Back To The Future and Pretty Woman.
Amber Davies and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin perform a Charleston on Strictly
Playing Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby musical on the West End, Amber performs similar choreography
Former Love Islander Amber went on to score a perfect 40 from the judges on Saturday, December 6, 2025
The revelation raises questions over who is choreographing the routines on the BBC show, which has always been the job of the professional dancers.
A source said: ‘Amber has continually complained about the criticism for being a trained dancer. It has been one big pity party. But this footage shows she was using a routine from a musical she starred in as a professional.’
Ms Davies 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.
Writing on Instagram last week, Ms Davies – who was previously turned down twice by Strictly bosses for being overqualified – said: ‘I’m really just trying my best… The meanies are out to play.’
A BBC spokesman said Ms Davies’s dance last week was a ‘new routine choreographed for Strictly Come Dancing’ which had ‘briefly paid tribute to The Great Gatsby as a nod to Musicals Week’.
