Strictly star Amber Davies was ‘unfazed’ by photos of her pro dance partner Nikita Kuzmin kissing her on the forehead, sources revealed to the Daily Mail.
The former Love Island winner, 29, who is in a relationship with West End actor Ben Joyce, was pictured sharing a warm embrace with Ukrainian professional Nikita, 27, on Friday during a break from rehearsals at a north London studio.
Bundled up in warm clothes, the pair paused for coffee, and Nikita gave Amber an affectionate kiss on the head ahead of Saturday night’s Icon Week.
Amber previously told the Daily Mail that she and Nikita had quickly struck up a close bond, having only hours to learn their first routine together when the actress replaced Dani Dyer at the last minute following her ankle injury.
The star avoided a shock early exit during Sunday’s results show, when all four judges chose to keep Amber in the competition over Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the latest celebrity to leave the series.
Now, sources close to Amber have reacted to the intimate photographs, saying any suggestion she has fallen victim to the show’s ‘curse’ is nonsense.
Strictly star Amber Davies was ‘unfazed’ by photos of her pro dance partner Nikita Kuzmin kissing her on the forehead, sources revealed to the Daily Mail
The former Love Island winner, who is in a relationship with West End actor Ben Joyce, was pictured sharing a warm embrace with Ukrainian professional Nikita on Friday
Amber previously told the Daily Mail that she and Nikita had quickly struck up a close bond, having only hours to learn their first routine together when the actress replaced Dani Dyer
The star avoided a shock early exit during Sunday’s results show, when all four judges chose to keep Amber in the competition over Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
A source close to Amber told the Daily Mail: ‘Everyone thought Amber would be panicked and worried about being in the dance-off, but that’s not the case.
‘She was not surprised to be there at all. With Strictly it’s an entertainment show, it’s anyone’s game. She actually had a feeling on Saturday that it would be her time in the bottom two.
‘But she’s going into this week feeling positive. There’s no concern or panic from her at all, and she’s still really enjoying her Strictly experience.
‘For Amber, it has never been about winning the show, she’s working hard, she’s humbled, and she feels particularly grateful for all the support she is receiving from the theatre community.’
They added: ‘It’s ridiculous for anyone to believe there’s anything going on between Amber and Nikita.
‘The pictures didn’t affect them at all because they know the truth. Amber was unfazed by it.’
Nikita, who is in a relationship with model Lauren Jaine, was photographed kissing Amber on the head following reports the pair have ‘sizzling chemistry.’
The pictures were taken last Friday after the duo spent more than eight hours training the Cha Cha Cha at a studio in north London.
Amber and Nikita attended last week’s Pride of Britain Awards, turning heads together on the red carpet
Nikita, who is in a relationship with model Lauren Jaine, was photographed kissing Amber on the head following reports the pair have ‘sizzling chemistry’ (pictured September)
The photographs came after the pair performed a steamy Argentine Tango and almost locked lips mid-performance
After receiving the fewest votes from the public for their Ariana Grande-themed performance on Saturday, Amber shared a video on Instagram, saying she felt like ‘rubbish’ following the dance-off
The photographs came after the pair performed a steamy Argentine Tango and almost locked lips, prompting many viewers to take to social media to question whether the infamous ‘Strictly curse’ had struck again.
After receiving the fewest votes from the public for their Ariana Grande-themed performance on Saturday, Amber shared a video on Instagram, saying she felt like ‘rubbish’ following the dance-off.
She captioned the clip: ‘A gut-wrenching evening in the dance-off, especially dancing against two of the most amazing people I’ve met on this experience.
‘I feel extremely lucky and thankful to be able to experience Halloween week on Strictly, but there will be two very special people missed.
‘If you voted for us, really, really, thank you. I guess this week we aim for a comeback week?’
She added: ‘Nikita, thank you for holding my extremely shaky hands extra tight.’
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was the latest celebrity to be voted out of the competition on Sunday during the results show
Amber said joining Strictly at the last minute has accelerated the close bond she shares with dance partner Nikita.
Speaking about his advice before the first live show, Amber explained: ‘Nikita said to me, look into my eyes the entire time. We had only known each other 24 hours.
‘It happened so quickly, it was like we skipped a million steps and had to immediately trust each other and bond and luckily, we are basically a male and female version of each other, and we clicked straight away.’
