Michelle Collins slammed by Strictly fans as she criticises 'unfair' advantage
EastEnders star Michelle Collins was slammed by Strictly Come Dancing viewers after she criticised Layton Williams' background in dance.
West End star Layton has been partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin for the new series of the BBC One Latin and ballroom competition. Layton sparked fury amongst fans on the BBC programme when he was announced on the line-up, due to his dance experience, with many fans dubbing it a 'fix'.
However, many said he has no experience in the types of dances performed on the show so he has been in the same spot as the other celebrity contestants. Soap star Michelle, who plays Cindy Beale on EastEnders, weighed in on the 'fix' row in the comment section of a video of Layton dancing with Nikita on the dancefloor.
"Sorry, but he is a professional dancer it’s not fair ! I love him but he’s great already," she wrote. Many fans were disappointed with her comment and rushed to defend Layton. "He's phenomenal!!!! His dancing background means nothing! He has no experience with any of these dances," one wrote.
Michelle claimed his experience 'wasn't fair' (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Many jumped to his defence (PA)Another pointed out: "It would be boring with all Les Dennis's... Yeah he's from a dancing background however has had to learn a new way of dancing," while one viewer responded: "Did you comment on the other ones with dance experience Michelle? Nah, didn't think so."
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One questioned her: "So is Nigel Harman. And others in the past like Denise van Outen. But ballroom is different. My friend is an MT dancer and has struggled to learn ballroom as its so different. Obviously, musicality and performance skills are transferable but we can see that with every actor who does Strictly.
"They get praised for narrative, storytelling and performance. However, Les Dennis had none if that! Oh dear! I hope he doesn't dance in 42nd Street!"
Last month, Nikita defended his partner amid claims of a 'fix' on the show due to Layton's dance experience. He said: "Ballroom and Latin are completely different to anything Layton has done so far, the technique, posture and especially to co-ordination is completely different, he has a lot to learn and I can’t wait to teach him."
Speaking about their pairing, Layton added at the time: "He is going to whip me into shape, and keep me on the straight and narrow because I do like to think I know what I am doing and do the most, but I really don’t have a clue!" Layton previously spoke to The Mirror and other press about his dance experience, explaining he would have to "unlearn" a lot of what he knew already.
"Of course there's going to be moments that will feel more comfortable being in the rehearsal room and use of dancing. However, I can't stress enough how different [Strictly is]... it's like a plumber trying to be an electrician! It's just not the same and if anything, I'm such a perfectionist with the things that I do, when it comes to stuff that I should potentially be able to do and everyone expects me to be able to do but actually it's just sometimes unlearning," he said.
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