Strictly Come Dancing’s Amber Davies has said she is ‘blocking out’ the fierce backlash over her previous dance experience.
The Love Island winner and actress, 29, has been criticised for having years of dancing experience in West End productions prior to appearing on the BBC show.
Amber explained that she was keeping herself and pro partner Nikita Kuzmin, 27, ‘in a bubble’ away from the criticism, after he was pictured planting a tender kiss on her head.
She said: ‘So I am doing my very best not to look and listen to anything. I’m blocking out that noise and just being present in the moment’.
‘I am putting me, Nikita and Strictly in a bubble. All I want to do is go out there and enjoy the work we’ve done for the week, be in the moment and make us proud’.
In the wake of her intimate snaps with Nikita, sources close to Amber reacted to the images, telling the Daily Mail that any suggestion she has fallen victim to the show’s ‘curse’ is nonsense.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Amber Davies, 29, has said she is ‘blocking out’ the fierce backlash over her previous dance experience (pictured with pro partner Nikita Kuzmin)
Amber explained that she was keeping herself and pro partner Nikita Kuzmin, 27, ‘in a bubble’ away from the criticism, after he was pictured planting a tender kiss on her head
Amber went on to tell The Sun: ‘My motto for Strictly has been, just zone in and be present.’
It seems the actress’ boyfriend Ben Joyce was also unbothered by the snaps as he arrived at her London training studios last week in pictures obtained by The Sun.
An onlooker told the publication: ‘Ben was seen dropping a large suitcase off at the venue and was joined by their dog Oreo at the rehearsal space.
‘He looked a bit pensive — who knows if he was checking up on her — but he was revisiting the “scene of the crime”.
‘A lot of blokes would find it hard, leaving their missus training for hours on end, dancing with a hunky bloke, especially when they have so much chemistry on the dance floor.’
Amber revealed Ben is unfazed by speculation about her close bond with Nikita.
While sources claimed that Amber and Nikita’s chemistry has set tongues wagging behind the scenes, the performer has insisted she won’t fall victim to the show’s famous curse.
Amber insisted that Ben is ‘not a****d’ about talk of the famous Strictly curse, and said she’s also close to Nikita’s girlfriend Lauren Jaine.
The Love Island winner and actress has been criticised for having years of dance experience in West End productions prior to appearing on the BBC show
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.’
Amber 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.’
Amber previously told the Daily Mail that she and Nikita 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.
A source close to Amber 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.’
Sources close to Amber reacted to the images, telling the Daily Mail that any suggestion she has fallen victim to the show’s ‘curse’ is nonsense (pictured with boyfriend Ben Joyce)
They added: ‘It’s ridiculous for anyone to believe there’s anything going on between Amber and Nikita.
‘The pictures didn’t affect them at all because they know the truth. Amber was unfazed by it.’
Nikita, who is in a relationship with model Lauren, was photographed kissing Amber on the head following reports the pair have ‘sizzling chemistry’.
Earlier this month Amber passionately defended her place on the show after critics slammed her for having professional dance training.
She told the Daily Mail that she has worked her ‘a*** off’ to make a name for herself in the elite world of musical theatre, starring in shows including 9 to 5, Back to the Future and Legally Blonde.
In 2017, Amber won the ITV2 reality show Love Island, a year that saw the series capture the nation and catapult its contestants to overnight fame.
Now she’s hoping to win over the Strictly audience after being drafted in at the eleventh hour to replace fellow Love Island alumni Dani Dyer, who was forced to withdraw after fracturing her ankle.
Speaking exclusively, Amber said: ‘We see the same thing over and over again and I feel like it doesn’t matter what I say or how I feel, if I’m struggling, people will of course have things to say because I do musical theatre.
‘I have worked my a*** off to be taken seriously in the musical theatre world, and I feel like I have been working so hard.
‘The musical theatre world is actually quite small so once you work hard, you are committed, consistent in your job and are a good company member, you can build your reputation quite quickly within the industry.
‘For me, growing up in the spotlight, it’s a lot less about what other people think of me and how I feel about myself.
‘I came from a working-class family, and my mum and dad worked so hard so that me and my sister could do singing lessons, acting lessons, it’s in my DNA, I will always work as hard as I possibly can. As long as I am fulfilling my full potential that’s all that matters to me.’
