Following on from last week's shocking news that Dani Dyer was forced to quit Strictly, she was subsequently replaced by West End star Amber Davies. The Welsh actor made her debut on the series last weekend with her professional partner, Nikita Kuzmin, performing a Waltz routine with less than 48 hours of practice. This Saturday, the pair will be doing a Samba. On joining Strictly Come Dancing, Amber Davies said: “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. I’m going to give it my all, and I am sending Dani well wishes for a speedy recovery. I hope I do her proud.”
But viewers will be forgiven for recognising Amber elsewhere, as she first rose to fame when she was voted the winner of Love Island in 2017. Express Online has taken a deeper dive into her personal life and what she's been up to since leaving the Love Island villa.
Since winning Love Island, the 29-year-old has pursued a professional acting career, with lead roles in theatre productions including Pretty Woman, 9 to 5: The Musical, and The Great Gatsby. She recently landed the lead role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical, in the new UK and Ireland tour.
On television, she presented the documentary Amber and Dolly: 9 to 5, which saw Amber jet off to Nashville to meet and interview Dolly Parton.
Amber also hosts her own podcast series, Call To Stage, where she speaks to stars from the world of theatre. She also appeared in the CBBC drama series Almost Never and participated in the sixteenth series of Dancing on Ice.
The Welsh actress won Love Island in 2017 with her then-boyfriend Kem, but the pair called it quits a few months after the series ended.
She is currently dating Ben Joyce, and the couple met while working together on the theatre production of Back to the Future back in 2022. Like Amber, Ben is also a Welsh performer.
He recently secured a role in the Amazon Prime Video show The Power and has also starred in productions such as Jersey Boys.
Ben is also a very supportive boyfriend, and after Amber was announced as the latest celebrity on Strictly, he gushed on social media: "Does she ever stop?! No she doesn't!!"
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
