Former Love Island winner Amber Davies has topped the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard, after replacing fellow winner of the ITV reality show Dani Dyer-Bowen.
Davies, 29, who was performing on her birthday on week two of the BBC dancing show, scored 29 for her samba to Bam Bam by Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello with her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, which judge Craig Revel Horwood said he “loved, loved, loved”.
The contestants’ scores from the first live show of the series were combined with this week’s, giving Davies a score of 56 overall, ahead of the public vote score being added for Sunday’s results show.
Judge Motsi Mabuse said of her week two performance: “You have the most amazing body rhythm I have seen in a while, well done.”
Davies replaced Dyer-Bowen, who is married to England and West Ham United footballer Jarrod Bowen, on the show, ahead of the first live episode, when Dyer-Bowen was forced to leave after fracturing her ankle in a fall during rehearsals.
At risk of facing Sunday’s dance-off was ITV reporter Ross King and dancer Jowita Przystal, who scored 15 for their waltz to Sunshine On Leith by The Proclaimers.
They received the lowest score of 10 last week, giving them an overall score of 25.
This week King was moved to tears after the performance, calling himself the poster boy for “older men” who “can’t dance”.
Also in trouble was former Apprentice star Thomas Skinner and his professional partner Amy Dowden, who ended the show with a joint score of 29, having performed the salsa to Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden, scoring just 13.
Before giving them a two, Revel Horwood said of the dance: “It looked like you were competing at a weightlifting competition in Skegness darling, it was all just powerlifts.”
In second place was ex-Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope and his partner Katya Jones, who performed the Viennese waltz to Lose Control by Teddy Swims, scoring 27, despite Revel Horwood saying it was “a little bit up and down”.
The couple finished with a joint score of 55, and were followed in the table by social media star George Clarke and professional partner Alexis Warr, who performed the paso doble to Game Of Survival by Ruelle, scoring 30. They received a standing ovation from the audience, achieving a joint score of 54.
Judge Shirley Ballas, who described Clarke as a “front runner”, said: “I think what I appreciate is the fact you’re in control of every movement that you do.”
Towards the middle of the table, former England Lionesses footballer Karen Carney and her professional partner Carlos Gu scored 20 for their jive to Dua Lipa’s Training Season, after week one in which she became the first footballer in 18 years to top the leaderboard, scoring 31.
Before the dance she spoke about her curved spine, which she said would limit her during the dance, and judge Motsi Mabuse said it would be something the panel would have to “challenge” in their feedback.
The couple ended up with a joint score of 51.
Reality TV star Vicky Pattison and her partner Kai Widdrington scored 24 for their foxtrot to Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s Rein Me In, which prompted judge Anton Du Beke to remark: “Dearly departed Len (Goodman) would’ve loved that heel turn.”
Pattison teared up at the end of the dance, saying she was glad she had made the area she grew up in proud, and added she “hadn’t really done a lot of stuff to make the North East proud, especially at the start of my career”.
Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe performed the samba to La Bamba by Connie Francis, scoring 31, while Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer scored 26 for their quickstep to Solomon Burke’s Everybody Needs Somebody To Love.
Former Chelsea footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and his professional partner Lauren Oakley scored 25 for their cha cha to Motown classic I Heard It Through The Grapevine, which brought cheers from Oakley at its conclusion.
Model Ellie Goldstein, who is the first person with Down’s syndrome to compete on the main series of Strictly, and her partner Vito Coppola, scored 23 for their waltz to Ellie Goulding’s version of Sir Elton John’s Your Song.
Former England rugby player Chris Robshaw and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova scored 16 for their Viennese waltz to Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, which Ballas described as “better than last week”.
Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis and last year’s Strictly champion professional dancer Dianne Buswell performed the cha cha to Give It Up by KC And The Sunshine Band, scoring 17. Mabuse described them as a “perfect partnership”.
EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her professional partner Julian Caillon scored 30 for their Charleston to Been Like This by Meghan Trainor and T-Pain, while drag artist La Voix and their professional partner Aljaz Skorjanec scored 19 for their jive to Objection (Tango) by Shakira.
Strictly Come Dancing returns for its results show on Sunday at 7.15pm when the show’s first elimination will be revealed. Mabuse will have the casting vote to decide who wins the dance-off.
