STRICTLY star Amber Davies has revealed she AXED a difficult lift from her performance at the last minute after she suffered sleepless nights.
Amber, 29, and pro dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, 27, performed a raunchy Argentine Tango tonight but scrapped the tough move that has never been done on the BBC1 show.
West End star Amber revealed: “We had one big lift that wasn’t working, we were in panic mode, but we are Team Chaos.
“That’s what we have called ourselves.
“It’s a big, giant lift that’s never been done on Strictly before, I’ve had a few sleepless nights and woken up with heart palpitations.
“We were only getting it right one out of five times and we just can’t go into the live show with a risk like that.
“It’s 10 times harder than any other routine we have ever done.”
She added: “I didn’t realise there were so many rules and regulations when it comes to different styles of dance.”
Amber revealed she has been left exhausted after throwing herself into strenuous training.
She said: “My left leg is black and blue, if you’ve got a bruise you are doing well.
“I am training 9am to 6pm Monday to Thursday.
“But if Nikita sees that I am tired and gone dead behind the eyes he’ll let me go home earlier.
“Nikita is an amazing human, he is strict as a teacher, but he makes sure I’m coping with everything mentally and physically.
“I am ravenous constantly. I could eat for Britain, I eat 10 times more than Nikita. I am eating five bananas a day, if he gives me two minutes break to sip some water I will yomp a banana down. I am eating so many carbs too.”
Amber was drafted into the BBC1 show to replace fellow former Love Islander Dani Dyer in week two after she fractured an ankle.
She performed her first live show after just six hours of rehearsal time.
She said: “The opportunity came up in the most chaotic way, I was on the show within 24 hours, I never in a million years I would be given this opportunity.
“I never met with them, I know there was couple of stories that said I’d been rejected twice, that wasn’t the case, I’d never met with the Strictly team before.
“So when I got the call, my agent told me to sit down. It took my breath away.
“On that first performance the only way I got through it was looking in Nikita’s eyes, I just had to do it.
“My body was numb from head to know, he said my body was shaking like a leaf, I don’t even remember it.”
Amber credits her boyfriend musical theatre actor Ben Joyce for caring her in the evenings.
She said: “My gorgeous boyfriend is looking after me, he runs me a bath every night, gives me a home-cooked tea and a foot rub when I get home from training.”
