Amber Davies and Ben Joyce Shine Together, Dismiss Strictly Curse at Wicked Premiere

If there was trouble in paradise it was kept well away from the red carpet as Strictly Come Dancing star Amber Davies made her latest public appearance with boyfriend Ben Joyce on Monday evening. 

The couple looked typically close while attending the UK premier of forthcoming film Wicked For Good – the second instalment in a planned trilogy of Wizard Of Oz prequels – at Cineworld Leicester Square. 

Davies, 29, has remained adamant she won’t fall victim to the notorious Strictly Come Dancing curse after being pictured sharing a warm embrace with dance partner Nikita Kuzmin during rehearsals for the BBC show. 

But with a justified reputation for ruining relationships, Strictly and the former Love Island winner’s close bond with Kuzmin has inevitably turned the spotlight on her current romance. 

Joining the A-list cast in central London on Monday evening, Davies caught the eye in a lime green minidress and strappy heels while posing for photos alongside her boyfriend.

The West End star, whose theatre credits include starring roles in Jersey Boys and Back To The Future The Musical, looked equally smart in a velvet tuxedo and raffish bow tie.  

While sources claimed Davies and Kuzmin’s chemistry sparked behind the scenes rumours, she has hit back at the speculation.

Last week, Davies insisted her boyfriend is ‘not ar**ed’ about talk of the famous Strictly curse, and said she’s also close to Nikita’s girlfriend Lauren Jaine.

She said: ‘The only good thing is Ben is not a****. 

‘So I feel like I can brush it off as it is not affecting us in any way which is nice. I mean he is horizontal Ben.’

Davies went on to tell The Sun: ‘I love Lauren, Nikita’s girlfriend, so much. I text her all the time. All day, every day. Lauren spends more time with me than her fella. She actually came into my dressing room before she went to see Nikita [the other day]. I have stolen her.’

The stage actress previously told the Daily Mail that she and Kuzmin had quickly struck up a close bond, having only hours to learn their first routine together when the actress replaced Dani Dyer at the last minute following her ankle injury.

The star avoided a shock early exit, when all four judges chose to keep her in the competition over Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

In the wake of her intimate snaps with Kuzmin, sources close to Davies reacted to the images, telling the Daily Mail that any suggestion she has fallen victim to the show’s ‘curse’ is nonsense.

A source close to the Welsh star told the Daily Mail: ‘Everyone thought Amber would be panicked and worried about being in the dance-off, but that’s not the case.

‘She was not surprised to be there at all. With Strictly it’s an entertainment show, it’s anyone’s game. She actually had a feeling on Saturday that it would be her time in the bottom two.

‘But she’s going into this week feeling positive. There’s no concern or panic from her at all, and she’s still really enjoying her Strictly experience.

‘For Amber, it has never been about winning the show, she’s working hard, she’s humbled, and she feels particularly grateful for all the support she is receiving from the theatre community.’

Following Saturday’s live show, Davies took to Instagram to show her appreciation for her partner, praising him for going ‘above and beyond’ to support her during her time on the show.

Her post included two snaps of Joyce embracing his visibly-emotional girlfriend backstage after filming wrapped for the live show.

Captioning the post, she wrote: ‘I couldn’t do any of this without you by my side @benj0yce thank you for going above and beyond every single day, picking me up when I’m down and being the loudest cheerleader when we celebrate. 

‘Always dinner on the table after rehearsals & extra plasters ready when my feet need them. 

‘I am genuinely the luckiest girl in the world and I don’t tell you enough how thankful I am, I have won in life with you. I love you with all my heart.’