Layton Williams has opened up about the amount of trolling he has received throughout his Strictly Come Dancing journey ahead of the show’s highly-anticipated finale.
Speaking to HELLO! and other press at the Strictly studios, he explained: "If I was feeling like I wanted to be expressive, the Strictly team have been so great... I think it is the first time they've had someone that has been so, a male celebrity that has been queer, of course, they have had them in the past but someone that has been so flamboyant. They have got behind me.
"It is the little ripple effect of love that has been spread across the UK... in these times, people are just a little bit grumpy, I'm like, 'Cheer up girls, it's just a cheeky high kick and a flip and a lip so just get into it,' and that's my biggest achievement."
© Guy LevyHe also opened up about discussions about his dance experience, and the pressure that comes with expectations. "If people are going to expect a certain level, then let’s give them that momentum, and I feel like hopefully we’ve managed to rise to people’s expectations and then some, and really push it to a place where actually, if that’s what you thought then we’re really going to do our best," he explained.
"It has been hard, the pressure of feeling like you have to do well, because this is the kind of thing where no one is going hard and moaning or complaining when I’m rubbish. I think people think I walk into the studio and am like, 'Let’s go.' I wish we could get people in to see sometimes."
© Guy LevyThe star also opened up about what it would mean for him to win the show, adding: "I think to win would, of course, be an unbelievable achievement, after everything we’ve managed to achieve on this show… but I do feel like getting to the final means I’ve completed it. No matter what happens, I’ll feel like I’ve left with my head held high. We’ve managed to do so much… I’m really proud."
Every Strictly Come Dancing winner so far
- 2004: Natisha Kaplinsky (partner Brendan Cole)
- 2004: Jill Halfpenny (partner Darren Bennett)
- 2005: Darren Gough (partner Lilia Kopylova)
- 2006: Mark Ramprakash (partner Karen Hardy)
- 2007: Alesha Dixon (partner Matthew Cutler)
- 2008: Tom Chambers (partner Camilla Dallerup)
- 2009: Chris Hollins (partner Ola Jordan)
- 2010: Kara Tointon (partner Artem Chigvintsev)
- 2011: Harry Judd (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2012: Louis Smith (partner Flavia Cacace)
- 2013: Abbey Clancy (partner Aljaž Škorjanec)
- 2014: Caroline Flack (partner Pasha Kovalev)
- 2015: Jay McGuiness (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2016: Ore Oduba (partner Joanne Clifton)
- 2017: Joe McFadden (partner Katya Jones)
- 2018: Stacey Dooley (partner Kevin Clifton)
- 2019: Kelvin Fletcher (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2020: Bill Bailey (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2021: Rose Ayling-Ellis (partner Giovanni Pernice)
- 2022: Hamza Yassin (partner Jowita Przystał)
- 2023: Ellie Leach (partner Vito Coppola)
© BBCNikita added: "I would like people just to realise that I know he makes it seem very easy … but we are putting in the hours. The choreography is really hard and it is nothing even similar technically or even choreographically to what he has done before. So we are working real hard and I hope that people will just appreciate it."
