The Strictly star looked back on her time on the show as she prepares to star as Elle Woods at the Liverpool Empire
Amber Davies takes to the Liverpool Empire stage in April(Image: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)
Strictly Come Dancing star Amber Davies feels “mentally stronger” after appearing on the BBC dancing show. The West End performer showed off her impressive skills when she appeared on the latest series alongside professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin. Amber was a late addition to the show after Dani Dyer was forced to pull out of the competition due to injury.
Amber, who hails from North Wales, impressed the judges and viewers at home and made it all the way to the final. She missed out on the glitterball to former football player Karen Carney and her dance partner Carlos Gu.
The former Love Island star isn’t slowing down and is currently in rehearsals for a new production of Legally Blonde The Musical. Amber is taking on the leading role of Elle Woods, which arrives at the Liverpool Empire on Tuesday, April 14.
Speaking about how Strictly Come Dancing has helped shape her career, Amber said: “I learnt so much from Strictly about my body and how to move, especially with all the different styles of dancing.”
Amber also felt a sense of personal growth and feels “mentally stronger” after the show. She faced the dance-off three times, as well as experiencing backlash on social media during her time on the show, with some viewers criticising her dance experience.
Amber said: “I definitely discovered that I’m mentally stronger than I thought I was. Now I’ve got a massive extra toolbox filled with knowledge about dancing, and I feel like that is worth its weight in gold in the industry that I’m in.”
The 29-year-old has a list of huge theatre credits behind her. She made her professional theatre debut as Judy in the Original West End cast of 9 to 5 the Musical at the Savoy Theatre which she then continued to play on the UK tour.
She has also starred as Vivian Ward in the UK Tour of Pretty Woman, Lorraine Baines in the West End production of Back to the Future The Musical and Campbell in Bring It On at London’s South Bank Centre.
Amber Davies will play Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical(Image: Liverpool Empire Theatre )
She also originated the role of Jordan Baker in the London production of The Great Gatsby.
Amber feels “honoured” to be taking in the role of Elle Woods, following in the footsteps of Reese Witherspoon who portrayed the character in the original film. Sheridan Smith and Courtney Bowman have also played the character on stage.
Amber said: “I’m honoured that I’m playing a role that so many incredible women have played before and it’s inspiring to follow in their footsteps, but while I have seen so many different versions of Elle and I’ve loved every single one I’m thinking, ‘What can I do differently to put my own stamp on it?’
“So, I am just going the extra mile to completely humanise her. With the comedy, the script is so well-written and so funny that I don’t have to add an extra comedy aspect to it, because I think Elle as a character and as she’s written is naturally funny. For me it’s about stripping her back and making her as 3D as I possibly can.”
Legally Blonde The Musical will run at the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Tuesday, April 14 until Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The feel-good rom-com is based on the award-winning film Legally Blonde which stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods. Elle attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend by following him to Harvard Law School, only to discover her own potential to become a lawyer.