Layton Williams has hit back at former Strictly professionals for criticising his routines.
Ex-pro’s James Jordan and Brendan Cole both blasted Layton’s pole dancing performance last week saying it had ‘no place’ on the BBC hit show. But the defiant Bad Education actor, 29, said: “I stand by the performance and am proud of it.
“We’ve been pushing the boundaries a little bit and being risky. We’re just 2 boys dancing together, having fun and trying to bring a show.
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“If somebody doesn’t like it, it’s absolutely fine. But why shouldn’t we be swinging around a pole and living our best life?”
Layton and dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, 25, are regulars at the top of the celebrity leaderboard. But the West End award winner has continued to face a backlash from some viewers for being a trained dancer.
He said: “The hardest thing is all the silly assumptions that it is a breeze to me. We work doubly hard to keep raising the bar and the standard every single week.
“I feel like sometimes my hard work is just batted away when I’ve put my heart and soul into this. But we’ve also received some beautiful messages from parents, teachers and children.
“Our performances are causing a beautiful ripple effect. So that’s my main joyous takeaway from the show.”
Despite his high scores Layton admitted feeling the pressure to win. He said: “I do feel the pressure.
“I have been close to tears. And I do get very, very nervous to the point of feeling sick just before the performance.
“NIkita is very good. We have a little moment together where he takes my hand and reminds me who I am and to go out there and just slay.” But win or lose Layton revealed he had already been inundated with work opportunities off the back of his performances.
He added: “You are going to see me on the stage. You’re gonna see me on your screens. My TV show comes out in December or January.
“I’ll be on the Strictly tour. You aren’t getting rid of me. The phone’s been calling. The emails are popping, and I’m excited for the future.”
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