Actor Amber Davies joins the cast of Strictly Come Dancing 2025: The last-minute Strictly contestant rushed in to replace Dani Dyer after ankle injury

Amber Davies, a former reality star, was the last minute saviour of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing series when she stood in a day before the first of the 2025 live shows to replace Dani Dyer.

The 28-year-old Love Island winner, who won the ITV dating reality show in 2017 alongside her former boyfriend Kem Cetinay, was announced to be on the cast after Dyer pulled out of the programme with an akle injury.

When Davies was asked how she felt about joining with very little training she replied: “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. 

She added: “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.”

Even though Davies and Cetinay were declared the winners of Love Island in 2017, the pair seperated several months after the series concluded and she has been dating West End actor Ben Joyce in the last two years.

Critics were skeptical but Davies explained to The Standard at the time: “I only graduated in 2016, so I’m very fresh out of college. But I’m trained and I have every right to be her.”

She added: “I’m waiting and ready to prove people wrong. 

“I know they’re gonna come in with a bit of, ‘Lets see how Amber from Love Island will sing,’ and I just can’t wait- I want everyone to be pleasantly surprised.

Davies stressed that her stint in Love Island would not be her defining feature, and she has worked hard and has been getting vocal training since the age of six. She said that she had always wanted to be on the West End stage.

This is not the first time this actor takes the risk and competes in something covered on TV. She competed in the 16th series of Dancing on Ice, with Armenian national champion Simon Proulx-Senecal, last year.

The two reached the semi finals, but were voted out in week eight, as radio host Adele Roberts, Made in Chelsea star Miles Nazaire and Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas defeated her to the final.

As much as Davies’ professional dance training might assist her with rhythm and flexibility in terms of mastering some of the Strictly routines, the ballroom and latin techniques will definitely put her through the ringer.

The actor is only beginning rehearsals with Kuzmin but they will still join the other Strictly couples to take to the dancefloor and perform a Waltz on the first live show of the series on Saturday night.