Former Love Island UK winner Amber Davies was a last-minute substitute on the BBC’s Strictly Coming Dancing, starting rehearsals just one day before the premiere.
“Guys, this day could go one or two ways. I might get a call to say, ‘You’re going to be on Strictly Coming Dancing on Saturday,’” Davies, 28, said in a TikTok video posted on Thursday, September 26. “Or I might be going to Swansea to spend the weekend with my niece for her first birthday, so a win is a win. What the hell-e?”
Davies, who won season 3 of Love Island UK with now-ex Kem Cetinay, received a phone call from the dance show’s production team just eight hours later.
“Well, I’m doing it,” she said in a later clip of her TikTok video. “Please be kind, and vote for me if you can. I’m doing this for Dani Dyer.”
Dyer, 29, was an original member of the Strictly — the British precursor to Dancing With the Stars — lineup. She was slated to dance with pro Nikita Kuzmin but broke her ankle ahead of the Saturday, September 27, premiere.
“I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny,” Dyer, who won season 4 of Love Island UK with ex Jack Fincham, wrote in an Instagram statement earlier this week. “I thought I had rolled my foot, but it swelled up badly over the weekend. After an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out, I have fractured my ankle.”
@amber_davies7 The craziest 24 hours of my life. Not a phone call I was expecting at 9pm at night with my pjays on and a cuppa in hand! So let’s learn some ballroom shall we…. 🪩 #Stricly2025
♬ original sound – amber_davies7
Dyer continued, “Apparently, doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance, so I’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.”
A spokesperson for the show addressed Dyer’s withdrawal in a separate statement.
“Dani has brought so much passion, joy and enthusiasm to Strictly, and her partnership with Nikita was off to the most sensational start,” BBC Studios exec producer Sarah James wrote in a statement. “Everyone on the show is incredibly sad that she’s no longer able to compete in this year’s series. We send her all our love and best wishes for a swift recovery. We very much hope to welcome her back to the ballroom in the future.”
Kumzin, 27, started rehearsing with Davies on Friday, September 26,. The dancing duo will perform a waltz to Adele’s “When We Were Young” during Saturday’s live broadcast. Dyer, for her part, cheered on the last-minute pairing — and their fellow contestants — from home.
“Good luck to all the gorgeous cast starting there [sic] Strictly journey tonight,” Dyer wrote via her Instagram Stories late on Friday evening. “Can’t wait to watch you all, so proud & know how hard you’ve all been working. See you all soon.”
In addition to her Love Island UK tenure, Davies has conquered the West End stage and performed in professional stagings of 9 to 5, Back to the Future, Pretty Woman and The Great Gatsby in London. Davies recently landed the starring role of Elle Woods in the upcoming touring production of Legally Blonde the Musical.
