Layton Williams might have beat Angela Scanlon in the latest dance off and secured himself a place in the quarter-finals, but the star has found himself the target of online commenters, as some branded the situation 'totally unfair.'
After three out of the four judges voted to save Layton and his dance partner Nikita Kuzmin - with only head judge Shirley Ballas choosing to save Angela and Carlos Gu - fans took to social media to share their opinions on the decision.
One wrote, 'Totally unfair result. Layton shouldn’t be on the show in the first place, let alone go up against another contestant and force them out. He’s already had dance experience!!' Another added that Layton had a 'natural upper hand,' arguing 'Angela was robbed. Shirley was right.'
So, why is Layton yet again finding himself facing more negativity online?
Ever since it was announced that Layton was going to be on Strictly, people have been complaining. We see it every year: whenever a celebrity on the show has a natural aptitude for performing and has had some form of previous dance training, people seem to have a problem with it.
This year that person is Bad Education actor and West End star Layton. Anyone who's seen him perform on the show and secure some impressive 10's won't be surprised to find out there's an influx of people googling 'is Layton Williams a trained dancer?' after every single episode. But the answer is not straightforward.
Layton Williams is an actor, singer and dancer who has starred as Michael Jackson in Thriller - Live, and has featured in the BBC series Beautiful People. He may have started his career by playing Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot the Musical when he was only 12 years old, but he's never been professionally trained in ballroom dancing. If he had, he wouldn't be eligible to take part in Strictly Come Dancing in the first place.
It goes without saying that Layton is a natural performer and a brilliant dancer – that much was clear even in the first week – but, because of his natural talent and West End roots, he has been repeatedly trolled and made to feel unwelcome by some viewers of the show.
So why is Layton Williams on Strictly? Is it worth taking part in the show when you're already a performer and face continuous abuse just for taking part? The truth is he's probably doing the show for the same reasons as everyone else – to learn, train and perform with a professional dancer, to have fun, and promote themselves and their career.
The abuse Layton has faced – including calls to quit the show and sensationalised tabloid headlines about how frustrated the other contestants are – is mean spirited, over the top, and quite frankly unfair given that several of the other celebrities have past experience too.
Ellie Leach, for example, is another top scorer this for series, topping the leaderboards and taking home some 10's from the judges. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she also used to dance as a child – with experience in tap, ballet and modern street dance. Angela Scanlon, who lost her place in the show during the dance off against Layton, also took Irish dancing lessons as a child at school and has a natural ability on the dance floor. That means the top three celebrities who topped the leaderboards in recent weeks have some form of previous dance experience. Is that really such a shock?
The reality is, without at least a few good dancers and performers on the show, it might not be as fun to watch. Layton Williams getting trolled doesn't make the show fairer, better or more entertaining. It just means one of its best dancers has to deal with trolls, unjust criticism and nastiness instead of learning his next routine and enjoying the experience.
Addressing the hate he's received, Layton recently shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying, 'Instead of coming at me with hateful comments, use your energy to shower your fave celeb with love instead. Pretty sure it will make us all feel much better!' Only a week later, he had to retweet his own message as a reminder to stop people posting hurtful comments. Maybe instead of moaning about how talented he is, people should listen to him instead.