Amber Davies left shaking and ‘gobsmacked’ after theatre award win

Amber Davies was named best supporting actor in a musical for her portrayal of Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby, and said she was left “gobsmacked” and shaking after receiving a fan-voted prize at the WhatsOnStage Awards. That public endorsement, coupled with a High-Profile Strictly reunion with Nikita Kuzmin, points toward a trajectory in which audience support and visible moments outside the theatre increasingly shape her next roles.

Amber Davies’ win for Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby at The London Palladium

At the ceremony that returned to The London Palladium to mark its 26th year, Amber Davies accepted the best supporting performer in a musical award for her portrayal of Jordan Baker in the London production of The Great Gatsby musical adaptation. On stage she described herself as stunned and joked she was “tipsy, ” thanking the creative team and calling the night “one of the most memorable evenings ever. ” She also paid tribute to fellow nominees and singled out her support system, naming Natalie Paris and her partner Ben Joyce during the acceptance speech.

Fan voting, Amber Davies’ Love Island origin and a growing West End résumé

Two visible drivers in the context are the awards’ public vote format and Davies’ trajectory from reality TV into musical theatre. The WhatsOnStage theatre awards are decided entirely by public vote, and Davies has built a substantial West End and touring career since winning the third series of Love Island in 2017. Her credits listed in the context include Pretty Woman, 9 to 5: The Musical, Back To The Future The Musical and The Great Gatsby, and she reached the Strictly Come Dancing final in 2025, establishing cross-audience recognition that feeds public voting and social engagement.

If Amber Davies’ fan-voted momentum continues — scenarios grounded in the context

If public voting and social visibility continue to drive outcomes: the context shows that fan-voted prizes can deliver high-profile recognition. Given that the WhatsOnStage Awards reflect the views of theatregoers rather than critics, continued audience enthusiasm could reinforce Davies’ standing as a crowd-supported performer and sustain attention on her stage work during the 2026–2027 UK and Ireland tour in which she is currently starring as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical.

Should Nikita Kuzmin and broadcast-visible reunions recur: the context records a first reunion since the Strictly 2025 final, with Nikita at the awards as Davies collected her prize and fans reacting strongly on social channels. Should further on-stage or social-media reunions between Davies and Nikita recur, they could amplify fan engagement and visibility for moments tied to awards voting or promotional activity, as evidenced by the social response to their brief reunion and the TikTok clip in which Davies mouthed “Okay guys, we’re back!”

That said, both scenarios rest on specific signals in the context: the awards’ fan-voted mechanism and the documented public reaction to a Strictly-era reunion. Neither scenario assumes industry-panel recognition nor guarantees future prizes determined by other bodies.

Based on context data:

• Event: WhatsOnStage Awards returned to The London Palladium for its 26th year.
• Role: Amber Davies awarded for Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby.
• Background: Davies won Love Island in 2017 and reached the Strictly final in 2025.
• Current: Davies is starring as Elle Woods on the 2026–2027 UK and Ireland tour of Legally Blonde The Musical.

The next confirmed milestone in the context is Davies’ current role as the lead, Elle Woods, in the 2026–2027 Legally Blonde tour, which provides a direct stage for audiences to respond to the profile raised by a fan-voted award and a public reunion. What the context does not resolve is whether that audience-driven acclaim will translate into further industry awards decided by panels or critics, or into specific commercial outcomes; those questions will be resolved by future award cycles and the public response to the Legally Blonde tour performances. For now, the immediate signal is clear: public voting and high-visibility moments have already delivered a headline prize and sustained Davies’ momentum on stage.