Strictly Come Dancing’s Balvinder Sopal ‘throws Amber Davies under the bus’ in ‘unnecessarily shady’ It Takes Two interview – with shocked viewers branding her a ‘bad loser’

Strictly Come Dancing star Balvinder Sopal divided fans with a comment about her former co-star Amber Davies as she appeared on It Takes Two on Monday night.

The EastEnders star, 47, who plays Suki Panesar in the BBC soap, appeared on the sister show alongside her dance partner Julian Caillon, 30, to talk about their stint in the competition.

Balvinder and Julian were voted off the programme on Sunday after a tense dance off against Amber Davies, 29, and Nikita Kuzmin, 27 – which saw judges Shirley Ballas, 65, Craig Revel Horwood, 60, Motsi Mabuse, 44, and Anton Du Beke, 59, all vote for the former Love Island star to stay.

This meant that soap legend Balvinder narrowly missed out on a place in the final against former footballer Karen Carney, 38, and social media star George Clarke, 26.

It Takes Two host Fleur East was interested to know how ‘nervous’ Balvinder felt going up against Amber, who has starred in a number of West End shows since her stint in the villa in 2017.

Balvinder said: ‘So I wasn’t nervous. But I will say this, Amber is a wonderful, wonderful contestant, and a wonderful woman.

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Strictly Come Dancing star Balvinder Sopaldivided fans with a comment about her former co-star Amber Davies as she appeared on It Takes Two interview on Monday night

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Balvinder and Julian (pictured) were voted off the programme on Sunday after a tense dance off against Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin

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It Takes Two host Fleur Eastwas interested to know how nervous Balvinder felt going up against Amber, who has starred in a number of West End shows since her stint in the villa in 2017 (pictured)

‘She is of a different calibre. So going up against Amber… honestly, was game over for us because we’re not of that level, we’re not of that standard. I certainly wasn’t.

‘I came into the competition as a novice, I couldn’t literally work the rise and fall of a Waltz step, I didn’t know anything really.’

Julian chimed in: ‘But we did what we always do, no matter who we’re in the dance off with, we always give it our best.

‘We always said “Let’s focus on us”, let’s do what we do, and we try to top our previous dance from before.’

Balvinder continued: ‘We gave as good as we got.’

Her comments caused some debate on X, formerly known as Twitter, and many took to the platform to share their thoughts.

‘Did Balvinder just completely throw Amber under the bus with that ITT interview…as if the hate she’s been getting wasn’t bad enough?’

Balvinder said: ‘So I wasn’t nervous. But I will say this, Amber is a wonderful, wonderful contestant, and a wonderful woman. She is of a different calibre’

‘Balvinder said Amber was a different calibre and she entered as a “complete novice” (even though she had Ballroom and Latin classes for years). It felt very unnecessary…very shady? Especially when it’s going to make the pile on for Amber even worse.’

But others rushed to defend the star.

‘They are close so it wouldn’t have been a dig.’

‘I think what bal meant was that she knew amber was way better than her so knew she was going out. I think her ‘different calibre’ comment was supposed to be a compliment rather than a dig at amber.’

‘I honestly think it was a compliment, Bal isn’t like that at all.’

‘She was praising Amber.’

Balvinder and Julian became the tenth couple to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2025.

Despite surviving a record five dance-offs, the EastEnders star was voted off at the semi-final stage after the judges unanimously chose to save Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin in the dance-off.

Many took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to give their opinion on Balvinder’s comment on It Takes Two

Having each danced two routines during Saturday’s live show, Balvinder and Amber each chose one routine to perform again.

Balvinder said that it was an ‘honour’ to perform again, while Amber claimed it was nerve-wracking to go up against the ‘dance off assassin’.

Balvinder and Julian performed their Salsa to Rhythm Is Gonna Get You/Get On Your Feet by Gloria Estefan, before Amber and Nikita performed their Couple’s Choice to RAYE’s Fly Me to the Moon.

When asked by Tess about her time on the show, Balvinder said: ‘I’ve absolutely adored every single minute.

‘All the dance offs, all the challenges, but just more than anything, just being in this building and dancing on this floor with such an amazing human being. It was my Yes Year, and I said yes to Strictly.

‘My family, we’ve had some hard times, but they’ve been here.’

Tess then asked Balvinder what the partnership meant and what she had to say to Julian: ‘I mean, I have no words, actually. You’ve been brilliant in every sense of the word, when I wobbled, and when I felt really brilliant about the dance and got the steps right, you’ve just held me in your hands and you’ve gone, Bal, we’ve got this.

‘It’s just me and you, and we’re gonna do this together. And we have done every single dance together, I’ve never felt alone on this floor, and I just want you to remember me. Don’t replace me too soon!’

When asked about having Balvinder as his first partner on Strictly Come Dancing, Julian said: ‘I just think that Bal embodies what this competition is about.

‘Her spirit is unbreakable, and [to Bal] you have shown me that I’m actually dreaming too small, and Bal can inspire us that whatever any of us want in life, all you have to have is the desire to go after it.

‘It took six dance offs and a perfect score to take this lady out, so I am so so proud of you!’

Balvinder then added: ‘Everyone’s been brilliant. The minute you walk into this building, it’s like a massive hug. Every single time. I’ve walked in, people have just held me and gone ‘You know, you’re all right’.

‘It’s such a wonderful place to work. [To the judges] Thank you. Claud and Tess, I’m grateful that I got to be on the show on your last moment here as well, because you, for me, are what Strictly is about.

‘You’re the era of Len Goodman and Bruce Forsyth, and that’s when I started watching it, and that, for me, is really special. This year, it’s been full of so many serendipitous moments. I’m so lucky, and I’m really, very happy.’