Strictly Come Dancing has responded to claims that Amber Davies' recent Charleston was copied from the stage musical The Great Gatsby. While performing the Guys and Dolls-inspired routine, some viewers noted the dance had similar moves to the on-stage musical, which Amber starred in.
But the BBC has said that the dance was actually a homage to Amber's role as Jordan Baker in the show.
"This was a new routine choreographed for Strictly Come Dancing, which – as already discussed online – briefly paid tribute to The Great Gatsby as a nod to Musicals Week," it said.
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Pro dancer Nikita Kuzman also discussed the routine on the Talk of the Townsend podcast, with Amber saying it was her idea to add them to the routine. Their Charleston went on to score them a perfect 40 with the judges.
"I asked if I could just put a little easter egg because obviously the 'New Money' routine went viral on social media. So I just thought it would be like, illegal, for me to not at least put [in something]," she said.
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Nikita added it was "probably the only thing she's asked to add in all of the routines we've done."
Amber, who joined the BBC show as a last-minute replacement after Dani Dyer was injured, has made it to the final after landing in the dance-off twice.
Since joining the show, she has received a lot of criticism over her previous dance experience, having starred in a number of West End shows after leaving Love Island.
Nikita took a moment on a recent live show to speak up for his partner, saying: "I speak to the audience at home, please be kind because it costs nothing.
"You [Amber] don't deserve any of that [criticism]. All you deserve is love, because without you, I wouldn't be here as well, and the show wouldn't be as good as it is. You bring so much joy."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Catherine is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, and was the site's News Editor between 2018 and 2024. Prior to that, she worked at OK! Online, and has interviewed a slew of celebrities across her career in entertainment news, including Tom Hanks, Cheryl and Noel Fielding. Catherine also has specialist knowledge in all things drag, interviewing a huge portion of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars, and getting her own drag makeover for Channel 4's show Drag SOS. LinkedIn
