SPOTLIGHT’S
How Pretty Woman star has taken the stage
FRESH from her success on TV’s Dancing On Ice, Amber Davies is back on tour with Pretty Woman: The Musical
UK.
The 27-year-old last night took to the stage as Vivian Ward at Wales Millennium Centre for the last night of the Wales leg of the tour, which she paused to participate in the ITV skating competition earlier this year.
Amber got to the semi-finals of the 2024 series, alongside professional skating partner Simon Senecal, in her first time on a reality television show since her Love Island win in 2017.
Since then, Amber has headed in a different direction from many of her co-stars, returning to her drama roots and finding fame on stage.
The Welsh star, from Denbigh, got her big break on 9 to 5, alongside Dolly Parton, and has also starred in Bring It On, and Back to the Future, where she met her co-star and now boyfriend Ben Joyce.
Amber said of her West End stage success: “The golden ticket for me was 9 to 5 and everything else after it just fell into place, I feel so grateful to be doing these iconic musicals that have such a huge and loyal fan base, they don’t make movies like these any more, so I just feel so grateful to be taking Pretty Woman around the country.”
Pretty Woman, which saw Julia Roberts famously play Vivian Ward in the 1990 blockbuster film, is her most “challenging” role yet, revealed Amber.
She said: “I go as close to her original character as I can, she’s a strong, strong woman and she’s honestly so naturally funny and a bit goofy.
“I like to play with that,
especially the first act of the show, she’s a firecracker and I finished watching Pretty Woman in love with Julia Roberts, so that’s how I try and make the audience feel once they leave the theatre.”
As for her performances in Cardiff, Amber said: “It’s extra special when you’re on your home turf, it means a lot more, it feels a lot more special.”
However, the star admitted she felt the pressure as Ben’s parents both turned up to cheer her on.
Speaking ahead of the show, she said: “My boyfriend’s family are from Swansea, they’re going to be coming down to watch so the pressure is on. So I’m going to have to make sure I’m on top form to impress the in-laws.”
Despite demanding and conflicting schedules – Ben is currently performing in
Back to the Future – the couple are more than making it work.
“I think because we met on Back to the Future and worked with one another for a year we had that opportunity to create a solid foundation for our relationship,” said
Amber. “And it’s easy with someone in the industry because they just understand.”
Although she admits:
“I was actually anxious to see how the relationship was going to go with me being away but it feels like the new normal, we just fitted into it.”
She added: “We’ve organised some holidays, and he comes and visits me, we’ve got good plans sorted.
We live together, so we have the same base so that really helps.”
Despite both of their families living in Wales,
Amber admits she doesn’t get to visit as much as she’d like and misses her nana the most.
“I try and get [to Wales] two or three times a year and I know that doesn’t sound like much, but when I’m there it does feel so special,” she said.
Now Amber is hoping to take a break when Pretty Woman ends, revealing she hasn’t had longer than two weeks off since the pandemic.