Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin urges audiences to "be kind" to Amber Davies amid trolling

Nikita Kuzmin has issued a plea to viewers watching Strictly Come Dancing amidst a flurry of trolling towards his celebrity partner Amber Davies.

Over the past week Davies has hit back at the backlash she has received while appearing on the show, particularly when she and Nikita won the last dance-off, which in turn saw Lewis Cope eliminated from the competition.

During an appearance on It Takes Two, Amber said: "I would like to think I have thick skin, but obviously the start of the week has been tougher than usual.

"I would just like to remind everybody that I was never supposed to be here. I was a quick replacement. I’m just doing my best."

Upon receiving a perfect score of 40 points for their Tango, host Claudia Winkleman asked Nikita why Amber deserves to be in the final.

Nikita told Amber: "You have had so much hate every single day from the moment you joined, you've had so much hate this week and yet, you came every single day into the training room with a big smile ignoring everybody.

"And just giving me love, giving me a ginger shot as well. But you gave so much love, you always were kind, so caring, you care more about me when I'm supposed to care about you. You care about me every single day, you are such a lovely kind person.

"And I think sometimes, and I speak to the audience at home, just please be kind because it costs nothing and you [Amber] don't deserve none of it. You only deserve love because without you I wouldn't be here, and the show wouldn't be as good as it is."

Read more:

• Strictly pro Carlos Gu breaks down during emotional dance with Karen Carney
• Alan Carr returns with chilling warning in The Traitors season 4 teaser trailer

During the semi-final, the couple also performed a Couple's Choice earlier in the show, scoring an impressive 37 points.

Now with a 40, the pair sit high up in the leaderboard with 77 points, but will that save them from this weekend's dance-off?

The competition is well and truly on, with 24 hours to go to find out who will be in the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 final.

Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on catch-up on BBC iPlayer.

Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.