The Strictly Come Dancing final desperately needs Amber Davies

Amber Davies is one of the all-time great Strictly Come Dancing contestants.

But ever since she was drafted in at the last minute, she’s been treated like one of the worst. 

Things only got worse last Sunday when she knocked out Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope in one of the cruellest dance-offs the show has ever seen. 

Throughout this entire contest, their respective talents have only been rivalled by each other, but Lewis’ Salsa was one of his weaker performances – even if it was still significantly stronger than everyone else’s bar Amber.

Viewers were furious at Amber’s survival and perfect 40, she was targeted with vile abuse.

Had the shoe been on the other foot, I doubt Lewis would have received the same vitriol – despite Amber’s Guys and Dolls inspired Charleston being absolutely extraordinary and by far the best dance of the night.

Following the crushing result, Amber had to defend herself against delusional venom.

On Instagram, she wrote: ‘Guys, please.. It’s really just a television show. I wasn’t even supposed to be in the comp.

‘You have no idea what we put our mind and body through for this experience.. I’m really just trying my best with the opportunity that came to me. To anyone who has left a NICE comment, thank you. Xx.’

Tonight is the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final – the last opportunity for Amber, George Clarke, Balvinder Sopal and Karen Carney to prove they deserve a spot in the coveted final. 

Each of the semi-finalists perform two dances, but even before the show has aired, Amber has once again been forced to defend herself online. 

Some commenters suggested it was ‘convenient timing’ that her second routine is a Couple’s Choice, implying it would unfairly work in her favour.

She wrote on Instagram: ‘Before anyone comes for me for the couples choice pls (sic) remember Nikita’s dance style order was chosen before I ever entered the competition.’

It’s shameful that Amber has repeatedly had to justify herself – it undermines the joy and celebration that Strictly is meant to embody.

Amber is the only one who truly deserves that spot over the other three, but she is also arguably the least likely to get it.

Strictly desperately needs Amber – not only because of her talent, but because she has had to be more resilient than anyone else.

Yes, Balvinder has broken the unwanted record for the most dance-offs of any contestant in the entire run of Strictly. She too is a Wonder Woman, but there have been times when the EastEnders star’s place in the bottom two wasn’t entirely unwarranted. 

That’s not to say there weren’t occasions when the public haven’t been cruel to Balvinder. 

But even when Amber tops the leaderboard with a perfect 40, she knows there’s a very good chance she’ll end up in the bottom two because the public hates to see anyone be ‘too talented’ on Strictly – particularly a woman.

It is the only competition I can think of where contestants are genuinely penalised for being exceptional.

While questions have been raised about Lewis’s previous dance experience – his victory in an actual dance contest and his breakout role in the West End production of Billy Elliot. I couldn’t care less if it means a more spectacular Strictly, but until last weekend Lewis had sailed through with far more public support.

Amber had a dire wake-up call in Icons Week when, despite scoring 33 from the judges, she somehow found herself in the bottom two with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. There isn’t a universe in which Amber deserved to be in the bottom two in the quarter-final, let alone Week Five.

Still, Amber keeps smiling, even though I can only imagine how broken she must feel inside. She has been a real titan and tonight it’s extremely likely she’ll face her third dance-off – when she should so obviously be skipping gleefully into the final.

There are three wonderful stars who have each been on a journey, becoming a significantly better dancer, and I’ve loved them all.

But none of them are in the same league as Amber. Whomever finds themselves up against her in Sunday night’s dance-off, I very much doubt stands a chance.

Though Amber does have West End experience, it’s undeniable she has been on her own journey and has vastly improved since the beginning of the series, when she had just hours to learn her very first dance, yet still scored an impressive 27.

If she’s not in the Strictly Come Dancing final, it would be the biggest travesty in the show’s 21-year history – and would completely diminish the shine of the Glitterball trophy.

Whoever lifts that tacky grey cardboard ball should want to lift it because they beat the best of the best when it mattered.

The Strictly final should be the single most spectacular moment of each series. Even after 12 weeks of being pushed to their limits, contestants somehow find more strength and determination than ever before to deliver their best performances.

Some of the greatest Strictly moments have been in the final Showdances. It feels impossible that Amber will win Strictly, but it will be absolutely devastating if we don’t get to see what she and Nikita Kuzmin have lined up for theirs.

I already know it will be a defining Strictly moment – one that proudly stands alongside Caroline Flack, Ashley Roberts and John Whaite as a truly phenomenal Showdance. For that alone, I beg Strictly viewers to see sense and vote for Amber to reach the final.

The public have already made a colossal mistake by losing Lewis and what he could have delivered in the final, losing Amber would only add to the stupidity and result in a far less spectacular conclusion.

No one deserves to be there more than Amber – and we all deserve to witness the magic she has planned.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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