Strictly's Shirley Ballas defends Layton as he 'isn't only star with dance past'
Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas passionately defended one of the show's contestants as she appeared on Good Morning Britain today.
The dance legend, 63, was chatting with presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley when the debate surrounding Strictly contestant Layton Williams and his past dance experience cropped up. Much has been made about Bad Education actor Layton competing on the BBC series this year due to what some people see as his "unfair advantage".
But, speaking on the ITV show this morning, judge Shirley pointed out Layton may have learnt a few dance routines thanks to his past West End jobs but has never trained in Latin and Ballroom – going on to argue other Strictly stars have just as much dance experience as Layton.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge doesn't see Layton Williams' past dance experience as an advantage (ITV)"Layton is a marvellous dancer and he was from day one, so from day one he's been brilliant," Shirley gushed on Good Morning Britain today as she explained why the judges saved Layton and his dance partner Nikita Kuzmin after they found themselves in the dreaded dance-off over the weekend.
Richard then asked Strictly's head judge what she makes of the criticism Layton often receives, noting the actor has been dancing professionally since he was 12-years-old and has appeared in many West End productions over the years, including a stint playing Billy Elliot.
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"I don't think it's an unfair edge. I think coming in to do Ballroom dancing is difficult for anybody, as you can see in the American Smooth when he actually struggled," Shirley replied. "They do say about Layton having experience but there are other people who have had experience, so they just tend to pick him out a little bit."
Susanna, who appeared on Strictly in 2013, then questioned how hard it would be for the BBC series to sign celebrities without a single bit of dance experience. Shirley agreed with the Good Morning Britain presenter, saying: "Yes of course, a little bit of ballet or acting... any kind of skill!"
Chatting to The Mirror and other press ahead of Strictly's launch in September, Layton addressed his previous dance experience and said: "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.
"I don't really know yet because I've not started but come a couple of weeks, I might be like: 'Oh yeah, you're alright, I'm amazing' or 'actually you know what, can we all just cool down... because I'm not that cute!' I'm excited to learn new things, just throw me into the deep end, let's go." Layton added that he didn't study Latin or ballroom at college, saying: "So it's a whole new world!"
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX from 6am.
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