BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams says ‘I deserve to be here’ as viewers comment on previous experience

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams has said he deserves to be on the show after speaking out about the criticism from some viewers about his involvement in the competition.

The Bury-born actor, 29, has appeared in numerous theatre shows, including Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Hairspray and Thriller Live.

He made his theatrical debut on the West End at the age of 13 in the title role of Billy Elliot. Some viewers have said that this experience on the stage has given Layton an ‘unfair’ advantage in the hit BBC dancing show, but speaking exclusively to the Manchester Evening News, he says his theatre background is irrelevant when it comes to Strictly. READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Zara McDermott forced to leave rehearsals due to medical 'emergency' READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Amanda Abbington's fiance breaks silence after dramatic exit “Anybody who ever saw me in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie knows I didn’t do a Salsa or Tango there on stage,” Layton, who is partnered with professional Nikita Kuzmin on the show, tells the M.E.N midway through rehearsals for this week’s Halloween-themed routine.

In fact, Layton says his time on the show has made him realise more things about dance than what he knew beforehand. “I hope that, by watching the show, people can see that I am not perfect and that I have so much to learn," he says. "When I first started, I didn't even realise that Latin and ballroom were two different things. “I feel that everyone on the show is being critiqued within their own ability and I don’t think I am taking up anyone else’s space by being here.