Layton Williams’ previous dancing experience was called into question after his first appearance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday evening.
The 29-year-old West End star, who has played Billy Elliot, stunned as he entered the ballroom with his professional partner Nikita Kuzmin.
But despite putting in an incredible performance during their samba to Little Mix’s Touch, which earned them an impressive 29 points, some fans weren’t convinced by the performance.
Her dance sparked a new wave of claims that it was “unfair” that Layton was involved in the BBC1 show because of his dance background.
The controversy was even addressed by judge Anton De Beke, who defended the actor, who also starred in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Controversy: Layton Williams’ previous dancing experience was questioned after his first appearance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday evening
Comment: The controversy was even addressed by judge Anton De Beke, who defended the actor, who also starred in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
After the performance, Anton said: “I know you already have dance experience, but this is very different from what we do here, especially when you tackle a dance like samba with an extremely difficult technique.”
“What you need to work on is your feet, they are turned in a little bit. It goes up through the legs.” So you start with the basics and it filters. “It’s extraordinary from the waist up and you’re really gorgeous.”
However, Anton’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears among some viewers, who still complained that Layton had an unfair advantage over the others.
On X – formerly known as Twitter – one person insisted that Layton and Nikita would “never get their vote” because of his dancing history.
They said, “Not OK.” I won’t even vote for this duo because Layton has a lot of professional dance experience. It robs all other very worthy participants of points. Bad decision. Strictly speaking.’
Another wrote: “Layton has an unfair advantage… has dance experience and is used to performing in front of a live audience.”
A third said: “Strictly speaking it should be about people like Angela Rippon, not Layton Williams.” Don’t get me wrong, Layton is a fantastic West End performer but he has a lot more dancing experience. “It should be about those who have no or minimal symptoms getting noticeably better week after week.”
Another simply said: “Obviously Layton has dance experience.”
Wow! The 29-year-old West End star, who has played Billy Elliot, stunned as he entered the ballroom with his professional partner Nikita Kuzmin
Oh no! But despite putting in an incredible performance during their samba to Little Mix’s Touch, which earned them an impressive 29 points, some fans weren’t convinced by the performance
However, others decided to look past his background and just enjoy the show, with one saying: “Wow Layton.” Spectacular. Of course he has some experience, but that was spectacular!’
Another quipped: “Nice to see all the dance school experience has paid off for Layton. “Not exactly an amateur.”
However, others decided to look past his background and just enjoy the show, with one saying: “Wow Layton.” Spectacular. Of course he has some experience, but that was spectacular!’
Another noted that Layton wasn’t the only one with a dance background, Nigel Harman, who came first with 32 points, also had experience.
Previously, he touched on his previous experiences and said: “When I was 16, I did a diploma in musical theater. So we always danced. ‘I wasn’t on the top stream.’
One fan commented on his experience and said: “Ignoring Nigel’s previous dance experience and trying Layton for his experience is completely predictable for the female Strictly audience.”
Another commented: “Everyone hated Layton’s dance experience.” Nigel took many dance classes as a child, attended a performing arts school, got a diploma in musical theatre, spent six months as a dancer on a cruise ship and appeared in numerous West End films. Musicals on. Just for your information.’
Another person said: “It would be a travesty for the British public to vilify Layton because of his experience and I’m glad Shirley has given him pointers to work on.”
Another fan wrote: “I think that’s something Nikita needs to appreciate as a professional.” The fact that Layton isn’t afraid to push boundaries and just go for it and give it 110 percent. Given his experience, Layton is now just working on finer details and consistency, but WHAT A STAR!!”
Explaining how progressive a win for Layton would be despite his experience, one said: “There are many reasons why the public may not vote for Layton as often as he deserves. Prejudices about sexuality, race and even Proir experience have always played a role in the strict vote.” But if this boy wins, the world will be a better place.”
Positive: One fan commented on how progressive a win would be for Layton despite his experience
Strictly speaking: Week 1 leaderboard
Nigel Harman and Katya Jones – Paso Doble to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana – 32 out of 40 points
Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin – Samba to Touch by Little Mix – 29 out of 40 points
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola – Jive to Can’t Tame Her by Zara Larsson – 29 out of 40 points
Bobby Brazier and Diane Buswell – Foxtrot to All About You by McFly – 29 out of 40 points
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice – Viennese Waltz to Pointless by Lewis Capaldi – 29 out of 40 points
Angela Rippon Kai Wrrington – Cha Cha to Get The Party Started by Shirley Bassey – 28 out of 40 points
Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe – Cha Cha to Uptown Girl by Billy Joel – 28 out of 40 points
Angela Scanlan and Carlos Gu – Tango to Prisoner by Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa – 23 out of 40 points
Eddie Kadi and Karen – Quickstep to Two Hearts by Phil Collins – 22 out of 40 points
Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley – Cha Cha to Boom Shack A Lack by Apache Indian – 22 out of 40 points
Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystał – Quickstep to “I’m On Top Of The World” by Bobby Darin – 21 out of 40 points
Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk – Cha Cha to Waffle House by Jonas Brothers – 19 out of 40 points
Zara McDermott and Graziano Dr. Great – Cha Cha to Crush by Jennifer Page – 19 out of 40 points
Nikita Kanda and Gorka Marquez – Waltz to Run To You by Whitney Houston – 18 out of 40 points
Les Dennis and Nancy Xu – Tango to Don’t You Want Me by Human League – 16 out of 40 points