Strictly judge takes savage swipe at Layton Williams just hours before the final

16 December 2023 , 16:44

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Strictly judge takes savage swipe at Layton Williams just hours before the final

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has taken aim at contestant Layton Williams just hours before this year's winner is announced.

The BBC show's panellist revealed he never thought 29-year-old Layton would make it to the final, which he's set to take part in this evening with partner Nikita Kuzmin. Speaking to Strictly host Claudia Winkleman on her BBC Radio 2 show today, Craig said he thought Layton's previous dance experience would get in the way of his success in the competition.

The 58-year-old said: "I could see he could dance but he was in heels, I remember thinking 'wow I think he's good but will he get to the final? Probably not'. Mostly great dancers don't do well on the show."

The Strictly judge didn't hold back when chatting on the radio today (BBC)

Craig is right about West End star Layton attracting negative attention because of his training, having had leading roles in stage productions of Billy Elliott and Everybody's Talking About Jamie. So much so, that former Strictly judge Arlene Phillips has had to defend him after ex-pro James Jordan suggested his inclusion in the line up makes a "mockery" of the show.

And now Arlene, 80, who worked with Layton previously, is urging trolls to stop the "hate". She told The Mirror: "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." Speaking directly to Layton's haters, she said: "Don't pick on Layton. Don’t pile on hate."

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Ex-Strictly pro James isn't sure, but still thinks that Layton's performances are some of the best he's "ever seen" on any Strictly competition. He told Hello magazine: "I loved it, I watched it and thought oh my god that was epic, but does that make it right?"

James added: "I’m not saying it makes a mockery of the show but it makes it a bit confusing. He is a professional dancer and we’re watching performances that none of the professionals on the show can do what he did."

Finalist Layton has also had to defend himself against online trolls, who he says have failed to ruin his time on the show for him. He said: “I’ve managed to take it all on the chin and take the positives from all of it. No matter what happens, I feel like I wanna leave with my head held high feeling super proud. We’ve managed to do so much and it’s exceeded all of my expectations. To win would be the most unbelievable achievement.”

He said that he and Nikita have used the positivity from those who felt inspired by them as a duo - rather than the haters: "We’re using it as ammo, to say ‘we deserve to be here’. Being here is inspiring so many people to be themselves, to not necessarily feel that they need to fit the norm. That’s the biggest thing I’ll take from it.”

Amelia Ward