Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin stole the show two weeks ago on Strictly Come Dancing with their passionate Argentine tango. The dance earned a score of 33 from the judges and plaudits from fans who felt that the duo were undermarked. The dance style is one of the steamiest on the BBC show and like many others, Nikita and Amber were seen getting incredibly close to one another during the routine, with many noticing that the duo nearly kissed at several points during the intense number.
After the dance aired, fans were quick to share their thoughts on the duo's chemistry. One noted: "I hate the whole 'Strictly curse' but I fear it has potential to strike a lot this year," while another opined: "These 2… strictly curse? Or great acting?" and a third added: "Amber and Nikita damn near kissing twice OK, Strictly Curse," and a fourth said: "Me seeing Amber and Nikita almost kiss twice."
However, it appears that Amber's boyfriend, Ben Joyce, doesn't have any worries about becoming the latest victim of the so-called 'Strictly Curse', which has seen several people split from their partners while competing on the BBC show. Speaking to The Sun, Amber said: "The only good thing is Ben is not [expletive]. So, I feel like I can brush it off as it is not affecting us in any way which is nice. I mean he is horizontal Ben."
She continued: "I love Lauren, Nikita's girlfriend, so much. I text her all the time. All day, every day. Lauren spends more time with me than her fella. She actually came into my dressing room before she went to see Nikita [the other day]. I have stolen her."
Amber and Nikita's partners
Amber and Ben are believed to have started dating in 2022, after they first appeared together in the Back to the Future musical. Speaking of her love, Amber once said: "He was in Jersey Boys and now he's playing Marty. He is one of the most kindest most caring people I've ever met. The plan was to be single for a while and then I accidentally fell in love with my co-star. He's just a ray of sunshine and he's so loved by everyone in the cast. He's so talented; he's lovely."
© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy LevyPro dancer Nikita, meanwhile, has been in a relationship with model Lauren Jaine since 2023, with the pair sharing a selfie celebrating their one-year anniversary. Although Lauren doesn't often share photos of her dancer boyfriend on her social media pages, Nikita has shared plenty of glimpses into their loved-up relationship, ranging from holidays to the glamorous model spending time with his co-stars.
Nikita and Amber had a rough time last week when they unexpectedly found themselves in the dance-off against footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink; with the judges unanimously opting to save the Love Island star. Speaking on Strictly's sister show, It Takes Two, about her visibly upset appearance on the results show, Amber shared: "It's the humanity side of it because Jimmy loved Strictly. And I just felt awful that it was us that had to be a part of them being knocked out. I wasn't sad because we were in the dance off, I was sad because I love him so much, and I love Lauren Oakley. Them as a team were amazing, and it's just the worst feeling in the world."
Strictly 'Curse'
Rumblings about a so-called 'Strictly Curse' have been around about since the beginning of the show back in 2004 after pro dancer Brendan Cole split from his fiancé, fellow dancer Camilla Dallerup, while partnered with newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky. The dancer denied having a relationship with the star, who he won the inaugural series with, telling The Daily Mail: "I've never talked about what relationship Natasha and I had on the show. What I did learn is that Strictly is not reality. It's a television show where emotions are very much heightened."
© Beretta/Sims/ShutterstockThe possibility of a curse has been downplayed on several occasions, including by judge Craig Revel Horwood, who has been on the show since its beginning. Opening up to The Daily Express in 2018, he said: "I don't think it's a curse or anything to do with Strictly. I think it's just about, if people were to split up, their marriage must've been on the rocks anyway, for anything else to occur. If people are happy in their relationship, they very rarely go off with someone else."
