Amber Davies looked nervous as she made her Strictly Come Dancing debut with pro dancer Nikita Kuzmin on Saturday night’s live show.

The Love Island star replaced Dani Dyer after she was forced to pull out due to an ankle injury.

Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman sent their well wishes to Dani with a sweet message at the start of the show.

Fans noticed the ‘awkward’ opening credits which left Amber out of the titles but still included Dani.

Although the main idea of the competition is for the celebrity participants to learn dancing from their expert partners, it seems the ex-Love Island star and West End performer, 28, has a significant amount of dance experience already.

She has had leading roles in musicals The Great Gatsby, 9 to 5 and having worked as a dancer at London nightclub Cirque Le Soir.

Amber also has a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre and Dance, took dance as a GCSE subject at school, and trained at Danceworld Stage School.

She attended Urdang Academy for the performing arts as a teenager where she trained in musical theatre.

Amber Davies looked nervous as she made her Strictly Come Dancing debut with pro dancer Nikita Kuzmin on Saturday night’s live show

The Love Island star replaced Dani Dyer after she was forced to pull out due to an ankle injury

Ex-England rugby leader Chris Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova kicked off the debut live show with a Samba to Unbelievable by EMF. They secured a score of 14 points in total.

Actor Alex Kingston and much-loved pro Johannes Radebe danced the Viennese waltz to Cry Me a River by Michael Bublé and were awarded 21 points.

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, better known as Nitro from Gladiators, and his partner Karen Hauer added some flair to their Cha Cha Cha to Push It by Salt-N-Pepa, earning them 19 points from the judges.

The star of Neighbours, Stefan Dennis, teamed up with fellow Australian Dianne Buswell to perform a foxtrot to the Neighbours Theme by Barry Crocker. The duo led the scoreboard with 22 points.

Dianne showcased her blossoming baby bump after revealing the news she is expecting a baby boy with her boyfriend Joe Sugg.  

Just the previous year, Amber competed on ITV’s Dancing On Ice, where she achieved a commendable fifth-place finish alongside her professional skating partner Simon Proulx-Senecal.

A source said: ‘The celebs are trying to be good sports about everything and don’t want to let on to show bosses they’re unhappy.

Fans noticed the ‘awkward’ opening credits which left Amber out of the titles but still included Dani

Dani Dyer, 29, one of the show’s favourites, had to bow out on Tuesday, after fracturing her ankle during a training rehearsal on Friday

Neighbours star Stefan Dennis danced the foxtrot with fellow Aussie Dianne Buswell to Neighbours Theme by Barry Crocker. They topped the leaderboard with 22 points

Dianne showcased her blossoming baby bump as they hosted a mini baby shower after revealing the news she is expecting a baby boy with her boyfriend Joe Sugg

‘But behind the scenes, all the chatter is they think it’s unfair that the line-up now includes two sensational dancers who have substantial experience on stage.

They told The Sun: ‘Having one celeb with that kind of background is one thing but having two is seen as unfair, particularly if they both ended up in the final.’

A spokesperson for the BBC told Daily Mail: ‘We’ve been shown absolutely no evidence to suggest that this story is true, or that the anonymous quote it is based on is from anyone connected to the series.’

Love Island winner Dani fractured her ankle during rehearsals, leaving her ‘heartbroken’ at having to quit the competition.

Dani later confirmed this in a statement and said: ‘I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny.

‘I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.

‘Apparently doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable (!!) and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance so l’ve had to pull out of the show.

‘To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement. I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.’

BBC Studios exec Sarah James praised Dani for bringing ‘passion, joy and enthusiasm’ to the series and said producers hoped to see her back on the dancefloor in the future. 

Amber Davies will instead replace her who has a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre and Dance and took part on Dancing On Ice in 2024 (pictured)

She has also appeared in leading roles in musicals including, but it is thought some contestants behind the scenes aren’t happy with her dance experience

While the purpose of the show is for the celebrity contestants to learn how to dance from their professional partners, it appears quite a few of the 2025 lineup already have some dancing experience

Meanwhile, Emmerdale star Lewis Cope is already a seasoned dancer. The actor learned how to dance when he took on a role in Billy Elliott on the West End.

It has also emerged he previously took part on Sky show Got To Dance where he was a member of a troupe called Ruff Diamond. 

Lewis Cope (pictured with his professional dance partner Katya Jones) learned how to dance when he took on a role in Billy Elliott on the West End

He also previously took part on Sky show Got To Dance where he was a member of a troupe called Ruff Diamond

Lewis, with Ruff Diamond, reached the final of the 2013 series and finished in fourth place.

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, known as Nitro on Gladiators, also already knows his way around the dance floor.

Whilst the Team GB sprinter doesn’t have any professional dance experience, he did take part in the 2024 Strictly Christmas special with Nancy Xu, which could give him an advantage when it comes to learning the steps in rehearsals.

EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal also revealed she previously ‘dabbled’ in Latin and ballroom dancing as a hobby.

STRICTLY LINEUP 2025

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey

Age: 36

Profession: Olympic Sprinter and Gladiator

Harry says: ‘I’ll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let’s hope I’m as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track.’

Alex Kingston

Age: 62

Profession: Doctor Who actress

The actress teases: ‘My hips don’t lie.’

Balvinder Sopal 

Age: 46

Profession: EastEnders actress

Balvinder says: ‘I’m far too excited to put into words how I feel but I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of dancing across the ballroom.’

La Voix 

Age: 45

Profession: Drag performer 

She says: ‘Strictly is a national institution and I can’t wait to get started. All that’s left to say is: good luck to my partner! Here’s hoping they can help me go from La Voix into La Danse.’ 

Thomas Skinner 

Age: 34

Profession: Reality star and entrepreneur 

He says: ‘Bring on the sequins, sambas and most importantly, the BOSH to the ballroom!’ 

Vicky Pattison

Age: 37

Profession: Reality TV star

She says: ‘I’m absolutely buzzing to be part of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.’ 

Karen Carney  

Age: 38

Profession: Football pundit

She says: ‘I’m such a huge fan of the show and I can’t believe I’m finally getting the chance to take part.’ 

George Clark

Age: 25 

Profession: YouTuber 

He says:  ‘Never thought I’d say this… but I’m doing Strictly! Honestly, I’ve got no idea what I’m doing but I’m excited to get stuck in … and potentially fall over a fair bit.’

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Age: 53

Profession: Former Chelsea and Netherlands striker and ex-England coach.

He says: ‘Swapping the pitch for the ballroom is certainly not something I’ve done before but I’m looking forward to tackling a fun challenge! Bring on a new type of footwork, with hopefully no own goals.’

Ellie Goldstein  

Age: 23

Profession: Model, influencer and disability ambassador 

She says: ‘It’s a show I’ve loved watching for so long, and the chance to now be part of it feels like a dream’.

Chris Robshaw

Age: 39

Profession: Rugby player

He says: ‘This is about as far out of my comfort zone as it gets! I’m hoping to take my dad-dancing to a whole new level, and my mum can’t wait to drag me along to her Zumba class’.  

Stefan Dennis

Age: 66

Profession: Actor

He says: ‘Looking forward to the sparkle and reaching for the sky.’

Ross King 

Age: 63

Profession: Showbiz correspondent

He says: ‘I can’t wait to learn from the best, meet my fellow contestants, and, most importantly… try not to step on too many toes!’

 Lewis Cope

Age: 30

Profession: Actor

He says: ‘I’m so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.’

Amber Davies 

 Age: 28

 Profession: West End star

 She says: ‘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.’