Strictly stars Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin have signs of an early power struggle, according to a body language expert.
Before the first live show, Amber Davies stepped in to replace Dani Dyer after she suffered an injury. So far, Nikita and Amber have managed to avoid the dreaded bottom two and have impressed the panel with both their dances.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t signs of potential tension behind the scenes…
Strictly stars Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin ‘show early signs’ of a ‘rift’
According to body language expert Judi James, despite their success on the dancefloor, Amber and Nikita “show signs of an early potential rift or power-struggle”.
“Amber’s body language in front of the judges and Claudia [Winkleman] comprised of self-diminishing rituals of cutely nervous vulnerability. She scrunched her shoulders, placed her fingers in front of her lips and performed a modest, sweet smile,” she said on behalf of Paddy Power Games.
“In rehearsals, we saw her fizzing with energy and ideas, but we also heard Nikita say ‘She’s doing really well’ with a rising intonation that suggests a question rather than a statement. His ‘She’s trying to run before she can walk’ hinted at a small power struggle and Nikita was seen with one hand up, ‘pinching’ his forehead in a gesture of possible exasperation.”
Judi believes that Amber “initiating the high five after their dance” was a “small gesture suggesting a degree of over-confidence”.
She noted that it’s “usually the celebrity waiting nervously to be reassured and praised and the pro dancer instigating the rituals of success”.
“When Amber received constructive criticism from the judges, it was Nikita nodding in emphatic agreement rather than standing up for his partner,” she added.
‘It seemed to give a hint of some drama behind the scenes’
After Amber said it was “interesting” regarding last week’s training, Judi believed she was hinting at “some drama behind the scenes”.
“This prompted Nikita to turn his head to perform a non-verbal ‘aside’ to the audience, with exaggerated face-pulling that included a jutting bottom lip in the mime of a sulk. He told Amber in front of the judges ‘Let’s walk before you run’ and her smile dropped like a brick. On the balcony after the results, there were at least two ‘tells’ of a potential battle. Nikita stood with his hand on his hip between them in a barrier and he placed his hands onto Ross’s shoulders rather than hugging or touching Amber. She seemed very loudly comfortable with her ‘Where do we start?’ criticism of Nikita’s singing,” she added.
Judi has faith that Amber and Nikita “could win” Strictly. But she insisted their Strictly experience will “probably work best if Amber becomes human blotting paper, soaking up Nikita’s coaching rather than pushing forward”.
Due to them both being reality stars, she believes this “might also be causing a status ‘draw’ and might also cause friction if they’re not careful”.
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