Anton Du Beke sensationally claims that Amber Davies’ ‘ineffective’ dance coaching has labored AGAINST her on Strictly Come Dancing

Anton Du Beke has hit out against Strictly Come Dancing viewers who have criticised Amber Davies for having prior dance training – insisting that it has in fact worked AGAINST her. 

The judge, who stars on the BBC One series alongside Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas, took to This Morning on Friday ahead of the competition finale tomorrow night. 

Sitting down with hosts Dermot O’Leary and Angela Scanlon, Anton, 59, was quizzed on his thoughts of the final three couples that will take to the floor for the last time. 

And while he heaped praise on TikTok star George Clarke for his growing skill level through the series, and admitted former footballer Karen Carney had ‘surprised’ him – Anton was quick to defend former Love Island star Amber, 29. 

The reality TV favourite is known for her musical theatre background, having graduated from London’s prestigious Urdang Academy. 

It’s seen her criticised by some viewers, who have hit out that celebrities with ‘prior dance experience’ should not be allowed to take part, and even slammed Amber as ‘arrogant’ and ‘stuck up’.

Addressing the critics, Anton said: ‘Goodness, how marvellous is Amber. She is so extraordinary – she is really brilliant. She’s done a lot of really brilliant things.

‘To think that she came in with a day to spare, she came in on the Friday and we did the show on the Saturday!’ 

As Dermot addressed her musical theatre background causing a stir among audiences, Anton continued: ‘It’s not fair, really, it’s not fair.’

Standing up to demonstrate, Anton showed Angela and Dermot some of the dance positions Amber would have ‘spent her life training to do’, which all involve her knees and feet turned outwards. 

‘Everything goes sideways in classical training, but in Ballroom, Latin and American dancing, we want everything to go forwards and backwards,’ Anton continued. 

‘At best you turn your feet outward a little in Latin, but [her classical training] is of no use to her in the Ballroom and Latin world at all. She’s got to relearn everything again, and she had a day to do it.

‘I’m delighted she’d made the final, she’s danced brilliantly, and what I’d like people to do, whether they vote for her or not, just go, “you’re great, well done”.’ 

It comes after Amber hit back at online critics who branded her ‘arrogant’ and ‘stuck up’.

The BBC finalist told the Daily Mail that being an ‘ambitious’ and ‘confident’ woman should be celebrated, not a reason for a cruel backlash against anyone competing on an entertainment show.

Amber, who will dance in Saturday night’s live final with partner Nikita Kuzmin, hopes to change public perception after enduring weeks of nasty remarks from viewers over her professional dance training.

The star has always been upfront about her musical theatre background and understands why some fans prefer to vote for celebrities with no dance experience.

Cast just hours before the first live show when Dani Dyer withdrew due to injury, Amber said she could never have declined Strictly, as she’s a huge fan of the series.

Thanks to her talent, having starred in West End shows including The Great Gatsby, 9 To 5, and Back To The Future, Amber has earned multiple full marks from the Strictly judges, yet she still had to fight for her place in the final during several dance-offs due to lack of votes.

She said: ‘I have a lot of young women follow me. I didn’t know what my purpose was on Strictly until I realised that I was getting a lot of negative comments for being good.

‘I can’t believe I have to say this in 2025, but being ambitious as a woman, being confident, having dreams and working hard does not mean you’re stuck up, it doesn’t mean that you’re arrogant, I want to change that. It shouldn’t even be the narrative.

‘I’ve had lots of people say, “I just can’t warm to her” and I think it’s because they don’t want to warm to me, that’s it.

‘At the end of the day, I come from a small town in north Wales and I worked so hard because I love what I do and the fact that I was given this opportunity, nobody was going to decline Strictly Come Dancing as a Strictly fan.’

The former Love Island star, who won the 2017 series, says one of the biggest lessons she’s learned on Strictly is to be her own support system, urging anyone with a dream to pursue their passion wholeheartedly. 

She added: ‘I just want to reiterate… we live once. 

‘Whatever you’re ambitious about and whatever you care for in life, go for it with two hands and don’t undermine yourself to make other people feel comfortable because that’s not what we’re here for. We should live for us. 

‘Another thing I want to say is being your own cheerleader and loving yourself is the kindest form of self-love that you have. I just can’t believe we still have to say this in 2025.’ 

Amber discussed the backlash she has faced during a Strictly press conference at BBC Broadcasting House on Wednesday morning.

She explained that contestants with previous dance training are often criticised by viewers, who prefer to vote for novices who improve over the course of the competition. 

Coming from a musical theatre background, Amber acknowledges she may have an advantage but stresses that her training is very different from ballroom and Latin dance.

Despite the criticism, she stands by her position in the final, where she will compete against YouTuber George Clarke and former Lioness Karen Carney, insisting she deserves her place just as much as her co-stars.

Amber said: ‘I feel like this isn’t a new story. We’ve seen it every single season, Layton Williams, Ashley Roberts, Danny Mac had it, so it didn’t come as a surprise. But it’s definitely only really amped up in the past couple of weeks. 

‘From day one, all I’ve ever felt is support and love because, at the end of the day, it’s just an entertainment show. 

‘Yes, there are opinions online and I can appreciate where they come from. I have experience compared to the other finalists, and I’m not shying away from that. But the love actually does outweigh the hate. 

‘I’m so glad we had an opportunity over the weekend to say: be kind, it’s not life or death. Musical theatre is polar opposite to ballroom and Latin, but people don’t always want to listen to that.’

On earning her place in the final, she added: ‘I feel like I’ve worked just as hard as the other finalists. I had to fight to get into the final; we are here for entertainment. 

‘At the end of the day, it’s 2025, social media is massive, opinions are everywhere, but I know I’ve stayed true to myself and worked hard, and I am supported by everyone. At the same time, I understand where people are coming from; I am not naive to that.’

Amber survived three dance-offs during her Strictly journey, including last week’s semifinal which saw EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal sent home.

The Strictly Come Dancing final airs Saturday at 7pm on BBC One and will be available to stream on iPlayer.