12 December 2023 , 18:22
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Former Strictly judge Arlene Phillips has urged fans to lay off Layton Williams in the wake of a vicious online bullying row over his dance experience.
West End star Layton, 29, has been flooded with hateful messages given his theatre experience in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Billy Elliott The theatre supremo is pals and has worked with Layton in the past. She says she has reached out to him during his stint on the BBC show.
“Unless the public gets behind Layton, he won’t win, and in many ways, I think that’s a tragedy because yes, he has danced but the force and the personality that Layton puts into it is his own,” she says. Addressing the fans directly, she added: “Don’t pick on Layton. Don’t pile on hate.”
In recent weeks, Layton (right) has been trolled on social media (BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Layton and his professional partner Nikita have continued to ignore the hate (PA)Arlene, who is bringing back Starlight Express, said that there have also been contestants with dance experience on the show. “It’s no more unfair advantage than the other dancers that they’ve had on, such as the Pussycats Ashley Roberts. They’ve had people who have come on before who’ve danced….there was always an anger from certain members of the public that they had danced before...
But Arlene said that the hate was unjustified as he is a “very special human being.” She added: “There is no one I can think of who comes in with an attitude as positive as Layton’s. Whatever he is working on, nothing gets him down. He brings joy into a room and he is a truly beautiful human being.
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"He is one of my favourite all-time people. I have to tell you. Am I biased about Layton? Completely. I want him to win. Because Layton has worked very hard for everything he has and everything he does and I can’t imagine one person I know that has worked with him who hasn’t just fallen in love with who Layton is.”
Arelene is currently bringing back Starlight Express, on what would be the 40th anniversary. It opened on March 27 1984 at the Apollo Theatre in Victoria, and the new production opens in June 2024
With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, it ran for 20 years in London. She said: “It’s coming to a new purpose-built venue in Wembley….and It will be all about steam trains versus electric trains and about where we are now.”