Amber Davies hits back: Strictly finalist slams ‘arrogant’ critics as she insists being a woman with ‘ambition and confidence’ doesn’t make her ‘stuck up’ after backlash

Strictly’s Amber Davies has responded to online critics who branded her ‘arrogant’ and ‘arrogant’.

The 29-year-old BBC finalist told the Daily Mail that being an ‘ambitious’ and ‘confident’ woman should be celebrated, not prompting a cruel backlash against someone competing on an entertainment show.

Amber, who will dance with partner Nikita Kuzmin in Saturday night’s live final, hopes to change public perception of her professional dance training after weeks of bad words from viewers.

The star has always been open about her musical theater background and understands why some fans prefer to vote for celebrities with no dance experience.

Just hours before the first live show, when Dani Dyer pulled out due to injury, Amber said she could never absolutely deny it as she is a huge fan of the show.

Thanks to her talent appearing in West End shows including The Great Gatsby, 9 To 5 and Back To The Future, Amber received many thumbs up from the Strictly judges, but she still had to fight for her place in the final of several dance competitions due to a lack of votes.

The BBC finalist told the Daily Mail that while being an ‘ambitious’ and ‘confident’ woman should be celebrated, there was no reason for a cruel backlash against anyone competing on a TV show.

Amber, who broke down in tears during Strictly spin-off It Takes Two on Tuesday, hopes to change public perception after weeks of abuse from viewers

He said: ‘There are many young women following me. I definitely didn’t know what my purpose was until I realized I was getting so many negative comments for being nice.

‘I can’t believe I have to say this in 2025, but as a woman, being ambitious, confident, having dreams and working hard doesn’t mean you’re arrogant, it doesn’t mean you’re arrogant, I want to change that. There shouldn’t even be a story.

‘A lot of people said, ‘I can’t warm up to him,’ and I think it’s because they don’t want to warm up to me, that’s all.

‘At the end of the day, I come from a small town in North Wales and I’ve worked hard because I love what I do and the fact that I’ve been given this opportunity, no one was going to turn down Strictly Come Dancing as a Strictly fan.’

The former Love Island star, who won the 2017 series, says one of the biggest lessons she learned on Strictly was to be her own support system and urges anyone with a dream to follow their passions wholeheartedly.

He added: ‘I want to reiterate… we only live once.

‘Whatever you’re ambitious about in life and whatever you care about, do it with both hands and don’t undermine yourself to make other people feel comfortable because that’s not the purpose of us being here. We must live for ourselves.

‘Another thing I want to say is that being your own cheerleader and loving yourself is the kindest form of self-love you have. “I can’t believe we still have to say this in 2025.”

The former Love Island star says one of the biggest lessons she learned on Strictly was to be her own support system and encourages anyone with a dream to follow their passion

Coming from a musical theater background, Amber admits she may have an advantage, but emphasizes that her training is very different from ballroom and Latin dance.

Amber opened up about the backlash she faced at a Strictly press conference at BBC Broadcasting House on Wednesday morning.

He explained that contestants who had previous dance training were often criticized by the audience, and they preferred to vote for the novices who improved themselves throughout the competition.

Coming from a musical theater background, Amber admits she may have an advantage, but emphasizes that her training is very different from ballroom and Latin dance.

Despite the criticism, she maintains her position in the final, where she will compete against YouTuber George Clarke and former Lioness Karen Carney, insisting she deserves her place as much as her co-stars.

Amber said: ‘I feel like this is not a new story. We’ve seen it every season, Layton Williams, Ashley Roberts, Danny Mac have had it, so it’s no surprise. But it’s definitely only really gotten stronger in the last few weeks.

‘All I felt from day one was support and love because at the end of the day it’s just an entertainment show.

‘Yes, there are opinions on the internet and I can understand where they are coming from. Compared to the other finalists, I have experience and I’m not shy about it. But actually love outweighs hate.

‘I’m so glad we had the opportunity over the weekend to say: Be kind, this isn’t life or death. ‘Musical theater is in stark contrast to ballroom and Latin, but people don’t always want to listen to that.’

After taking her place in the final, she added: ‘I feel like I worked as hard as the other finalists. I had to fight to get to the final; We are here for fun.

‘At the end of the day it’s 2025, social media is huge, ideas are everywhere but I know I stayed true to myself, worked hard and was supported by everyone. I also understand where people are coming from; I’m not naive about this.’

Amber has survived three dance competitions during her Strictly journey, including last week’s semi-final in which EastEnders actor Balvinder Sopal was sent home.

Amber has survived three dance competitions during her Strictly journey, including last week’s semi-final in which EastEnders actor Balvinder Sopal was sent home.

Now, with the Glitter Ball trophy within reach, Amber says she already feels like a winner just by being given the chance to compete.

Reflecting on his last-minute draft, he said: ‘I definitely felt like I had won, even when I was on the phone.

‘When I sit next to these two finalists, the people I met, I feel like I’ve won in life. All I wanted during this experience was to be there and remember it for what it was, not how it was perceived online or what people thought of me.

‘I’ve really managed to live in the moment and figure out how to do that, and I’ll take that to the rest of my life.’