27 November 2023 , 12:12
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Layton Williams has broken his silence after landing in the bottom two on Sunday night with partner Nikita Kuzmin.
The Bad Education actor ended up in the dreaded dance off against Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu, after failing to top the leaderboard with his American Smooth to Björk’s It’s Oh So Quiet the previous night. Layton was ultimately saved by judges Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood, all of whom believed he deserved another shot in the competition over the Irish TV presenter.
Head judge Shirley Ballas, however, voted to keep Angela and Carlos Gu, leading to speculation online that the Welsh ballroom dancer had a 'bias' against Layton. "Shirley has an obvious personal problem with Layton and I won’t hear otherwise," one person tweeted, while another questioned, "Does Shirley have an issue with Layton?"
Layton Williams breaks silence after dance off shock with Nikita Kuzmin as fans rage at judges (BBC)Layton doesn't appear to be affected by Shirley's snub, however, taking to Instagram last night to share his relief that he's still in the running towards bagging that coveted Glitterball Trophy. "That was close! SO grateful to be through to Musicals Week! Being in the bottom two has given me a [fire emoji] up my [fruit emoji]," the 29-year-old gushed. "Big love to all of our supporters." He also gave a shout-out to Angela Scanlon, who became the ninth celebrity to be eliminated on Saturday. "I love you x100! The last vid just sums you up," he quipped, referring to a clip of the stars performing a group routine. "Pure joy."
Layton's fans were quick to send their support to the star, with many taking to the comment section below to share their solidarity. "Absurd that you were even in the bottom two but hey, it just makes you stronger right? Cannot wait for the two of you to continue to show the public why you deserve to win that glitterball!," one person wrote.
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"Well done for Bouncing back must of taken Guts to come back form that moment," [sic] another person said reassuringly, while a third wrote, "Thank the Lord. You should definitely NOT have been in the dance off. You were fab as usual! Keep up the amazing hard work. Don’t let this effect you! Can’t wait until next week or see u both dancing."
Layton has come under fire in the past, with some viewers claiming he has an unfair advantage because he's professionally trained. The West End star has plenty of experience with dancing, having gone to theatre school and performed in musicals since he was a child. He has disagreed, however, that the competition hasn't been challenging for him.
"I’ve taken it on the chin; I get what everyone’s saying," he told the Guardian. "But if you could be a fly on the wall in this rehearsal room, it’s not easy for me." Layton has also directly called out his critics on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing: "Instead of coming at me with hateful comments, use your energy to shower your fave celeb with love instead. Pretty sure it will make us all feel much better."