Is amber davies a dancer
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Executive summary
Amber Davies is an actress and West End musical performer with formal musical-theatre and dance training who, in 2025, competed on Strictly Come Dancing and has repeatedly earned perfect scores — press coverage frames her as both a trained dancer and a reality-TV alum [1] [2] [3]. Outlets debate whether her background gives her an advantage: some stories note formal training at Urdang/Danceworld and West End choreography overlaps, while others and the BBC describe her primarily as an actor joining Strictly [4] [5] [1].
1. Who Amber Davies is: actor, West End star and reality-TV winner
Amber Davies is widely described in the coverage as a Welsh actress who won Love Island and went on to a professional stage career with lead roles in West End musicals including The Great Gatsby, Pretty Woman and 9 to 5: The Musical; the BBC framed her joining Strictly in 2025 as “the actor, podcaster, Love Island winner and West End star” [1] [2].
2. Does she have dance training? — Yes, documented musical-theatre training
Multiple reports say Davies trained in musical theatre and dance: profiles and tabloids point to a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre and Dance and training at institutions such as the Urdang Academy or Danceworld Stage School, and note she learned dance at theatre school and used those skills in West End shows [4] [6] [2].
3. Has she performed as a dancer professionally? — Evidence from the West End and touring work
Coverage describes Davies performing demanding musical-theatre choreography on the West End and in touring shows (for example, The Great Gatsby), and journalists explicitly link her stage choreography to moves she later used on Strictly — the Telegraph and Daily Mail draw a line between her West End performances and televised dance routines [7] [5].
4. Competitive dance appearances on TV — Dancing on Ice and Strictly
Before Strictly, Davies appeared on Dancing on Ice in 2024 and reached the later stages of that series; in 2025 she was drafted into Strictly Come Dancing and quickly earned perfect scores, with BBC and other coverage documenting her technical praise from judges and high leaderboard positions [2] [3] [7].
5. The public debate: trained performer vs “celebrity learning to dance”
A major storyline in reporting is the controversy over whether contestants with professional dance or theatre training have an unfair advantage. Some outlets and social-media voices argue Davies’ West End background makes her “too trained” for a celebrity competition; others — including Davies herself as quoted in profiles — emphasise that every contestant faces unique challenges and that musical-theatre experience is not the same as ballroom or Latin expertise [5] [8] [9].
6. What judges and producers have said on the record
Coverage of Strictly’s episodes shows judges praising Davies’ performances (for instance, standing ovations and comments about “beautiful balance”), and the BBC’s announcement framed her as joining the dance show as an actor with theatre experience rather than labeling her a “professional dancer” [3] [1]. Available sources do not mention a formal statement from Strictly producers redefining contestant eligibility beyond internal debate reported by tabloids (not found in current reporting).
7. Evidence skeptics point to — recycled choreography and advantage claims
Tabloid reports and some critics note that a Charleston Davies performed on Strictly resembled choreography she had previously performed in a West End show, using that overlap as evidence she brought prior routines to the competition; that coverage fuels calls within the industry to reconsider casting celebrities with substantial dance training [5] [10] [9].
8. Balance and limitations of the record
The sources consistently document Davies’ dance training and stage experience [4] [6] [2] and also document public backlash and debate over fairness [5] [9]. However, available sources do not provide an independent technical analysis comparing her West End choreography line-by-line with her Strictly routines, nor do they publish an official policy change from the BBC or Strictly executives confirming a new casting rule (not found in current reporting).
Conclusion
In short: Amber Davies is not primarily presented in the press as a “professional ballroom dancer,” but she is a trained musical‑theatre performer who has danced professionally on stage, competed on Dancing on Ice, and in 2025 delivered acclaimed Strictly performances — the reporting makes clear why viewers call her a dancer and why others dispute whether that status gives an unfair advantage on a celebrity ballroom show [1] [2] [7] [5].