Dancing on Ice: Amber Davies Interview

The greatest show on ice makes its big return to ITV and ITVX this weekend, as Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern join forces to take the helm on the high octane skating show.

Twelve celebrities compete to become champion of the rink with the help of some of the world’s greatest professionals.

Skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean head up our ice panel alongside dance supremos, Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse.

Amber Davies tells us about competing in the show…

What made you sign up to Dancing On Ice?

I didn’t think an opportunity like this would present itself, especially because I haven’t been on telly for so many years. I thought that ship had sailed. But when the producers pulled me in for a meeting, they solely recognised me as a musical theatre performer. And for me, I was like, “Oh, that’s so lovely.” I don’t feel like opportunities like this come around often, at my age, to learn a brand new skill from scratch. I love pushing my mind and pushing my body, and because I have trained in dancing, I was so intrigued to see if any of it’s the same. And actually, although the terminology in the language is the same, it’s not the same on ice. It’s not. I really feel like I’m learning a new skill.

Has that been a shock to the system to realise that actually you’ve got to forget all your dance training and start again?

Yes because in my mind I thought it’s got to be similar but it’s not – it’s the polar opposite. In dancing, all of your legs have to be pointed and turned out, where here a lot of it you have to do with a sickle foot, that’s been drilled out of me – never sickle your foot. And now I’m having to introduce it, it’s so alien.

What did your family and friends think when they found out you were doing the show?

My mum nearly had a heart attack because obviously when you sign up to a skating show there is danger involved. And with me being on stage every day, I think there were just alarm bells in her head like, “Oh my God, this could go terribly wrong.” But I just think if you have that narrative throughout life, you’ll never do anything. I want to do this. I know my body well enough to look after myself mentally and physically. I keep sending my family videos, they can actually see from afar that I’m getting more confident. I think every day they’re getting more and more confident with me being on the ice.

Have you got any skating experience?

I would say before my masterclass, I’d skated a handful of times in my life. I got to about 14 where I was like, “Mum, I actually really do want to be on the stage.” And as soon as that decision was made, I wasn’t allowed to go skiing. I wasn’t allowed to go ice skating just in case it jeopardised my training in musical theatre. One of my biggest memories from secondary school is all of my year going on a skiing trip, and I was the only one that didn’t go, and I had to go and spend the week with the year below me and it was just like the biggest FOMO ever. Now I look back and my mum was doing it for the greater good.

On a scale of Todd Carty crashing off the side of the rink to Nile Wilson, where are you?

It’s really difficult because you see the other contestants at the masterclass and I don’t know how I’m getting on. I don’t know whether I’m forward or behind. With my instinct I feel like I’d say I’m mediocre. I wouldn’t say I’m the worst and I’m definitely not the best because I still have the fear factor in my mind but I think I’d probably be sat in the middle.

Is there anyone you can turn to for advice about the show?

I’ve obviously got Kem – I text him a couple of times and he’s given me some advice on bits and bobs but he did it so long ago. I’m surprised he even remembers! He just said, “It’s all about confidence.” I over complicate things in my mind and I’m a bit of a control freak. I can’t just let go. Kem literally said to me, “You just need to relax.” It’s so hard to do that when you’re on the ice because you’re thinking about so many things. The more I get on the ice, the more relaxed I’m getting.

Do you feel like you’ve got anything to prove?

Not really, no. The biggest competition is with myself. I just want to be better than I was last session. I feel like when we get to the live shows, I’ll just want to be better than the week before. I guess the further I get in the competition, it will be more like, “I’m onto you, I’m getting you knocked out!” I think as I’m finding my feet now, I’m really just focused on myself and being better than I was yesterday. I just know the more that I do it, the more weeks that I get through, my competitive streak will come out. I know it will!

How do you think your nerves will compare to walking out in the Love Island Villa all those years ago?

I feel like as I get older, my nerves are getting worse because I care more. It’s all about controlling your breathing and I need to ground myself. Nerves affect me quite a lot – I shake! My legs shake and that’s not good on the ice. That’s what I’m a little bit worried about. Even on opening night in Pretty Woman, my lip was shaking a tiny bit. My body trembles but I’m hoping that by the time the first week comes around, we would’ve run the routine so much that I’d be like, “Okay, I’ve got this.” Also with nerves, you’ve got to be careful because adrenaline can make you a bit scatty. You’ll push things that you don’t need to push and then you over-dramatise from rehearsals because that’s when things can go wrong. It is about remembering what I’ve done and staying grounded, basically.

When the show starts, what’s happening with Pretty Woman?

I’m taking a break from Pretty Woman and I’ll be solely focusing on Dancing on Ice.

Are you feeling any pressure that you’ve got to perform as you’re a West End star?

Not really. Greg used to play ice hockey when he was younger, if anything I think he’s the front-runner. Eddie the Eagle, he knows how to move on ice and in snow. I think anyone who has been introduced to ice skating from a young age, they would be the ones that are more of the front-runners. The only good thing is the performance aspect. I won’t have to work on that as much as some of the other people but then again, they might be better on the ice anyway. I feel like it’s a real fair playing field.

Will you be ok having to be critiqued by the judges every week?

I’m used to it because when you audition in musical theatre, you get more nos than you get a yes. The older I get, the more I have had to work on rejection and the fear of rejection because you could go into an audition and learn the songs and then basically they turn you away which is absolutely what happens half the time anyway. I feel like I’ll take it as constructive and it won’t touch a nerve as much.

Have you thought about how far you might get in the competition?

A couple of people have asked me this and I just think I’m taking every week as it comes because you just don’t know because it’s a public vote. You have no idea, do you? I’m going to push myself as hard as I can. I’d absolutely love to get to the end so I could do the Boléro. I’d love that more than anything but your fate’s in the public’s hands, really.

Watch Dancing On Ice, Sunday nights on ITV1 and ITVX.