Layton Williams has addressed the horrendous trolling he’s received over the course of Strictly Come Dancing and admitted that sometimes it can be hard to deal with the pressure of it all.
The Bad Education star, 29, is heading into the final with dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, going up against Ellie Leach with Vito Coppola and Bobby Brazier with Dianne Buswell.
But it hasn’t been an easy ride, despite the judges showering him in praise and plenty of stars throwing their support behind him against the hate on social media.
Over the series, Layton has been accused of having some form of an advantage on the dancefloor due to his experience as a musical theatre star.
And while he’s addressed the online attacks numerous times, he’s now made a point about when the ‘grumpy’ people leaving him nasty comments choose to do so.
Layton explained: ‘I think people think I walk into the studio and am like, “Let’s go.” I wish we could get people in to see sometimes.’
But his outlook has remained positive, and the ‘fix’ claims have even given him ‘momentum’ to rise to the expectations viewers are putting on him.
He said: ‘If people are going to expect a certain level, then let’s give them that momentum, and I feel like hopefully we’ve managed to rise to people’s expectations and then some, and really push it to a a place where actually, if that’s what you thought then we’re really going to do our best.
‘It has been hard, the pressure of feeling like you have to do well, because this is the kind of thing where no one is going hard and moaning or complaining when I’m rubbish.’
Recalling their Viennese Waltz in Movie Week, in which they received 28 points, he continued: ‘Didn’t get many Tweets that week did I? It’s only when you’re doing cute that people want to drag you down, which is fine and we’ve managed to get around that.’
He added: ‘The biggest inspiration really is people saying it’s inspiring, what we’re managing to do as a duo, and using that as ammo to be like, we deserve to be here.
‘Being here is inspiring so many people to be themselves, to not necessarily feel like they have to fit the norm and I feel really proud, that’s the biggest thing I’ll takeaway from it, not what people’s opinions are.’
He elsewhere added that ‘celebrating’ who he is and embracing his ‘excessive flamboyance’ has also led to some positive mentions.
‘Everything that’s come from it and the stories you get from people, it’s been the most heart-warming thing and it’s a little ripple effect of love, which I feel like in these times, people are a little bit grumpy, and I’m like, “Cheer up girl, it’s just a cheeky high kick and a flip and a lift,” just get into it. That’s my biggest achievement I think.’
‘I would like people to realise that I know he makes it seem very easy, on the floor he makes it seem easy, but we are putting in the hours,’ Nikita added.
‘The choreography is really hard, is it nothing even similarly technically or choreographically to anything he has done before, so we are working really hard and I hope people appreciate it and we hope to bring a little joy.’
Thankfully, the criticism hasn’t shaped his Strictly experience, as Layton elsewhere said that despite ‘the noise’, he’s not letting it bring him down.
He said: ‘I’m not the only person that’s been in this position, so I don’t understand why it’s shock horror news. I’m not the first and won’t be the last.’
Layton went on to say that ‘managing’ the negativity has ensured it hasn’t defined his journey.
‘What’s defined my journey is what we’ve been able to do, what’s defined my journey is who we have been able to inspire, not people that are keyboard warriors, they’re just a percentage, I would like to say a small percentage of people out there,’ he said, highlighting how the same people would never speak to him in that way in real life.
‘I’m going to look back on my Strictly journey with a smile, I’m not going to be thinking about trolls.
‘It’s all love here and keeping it moving, whatever happens in the final happens, but we are so proud.’
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Speaking about what lifting the glitterball trophy would mean to him, he added: ‘I think it would just be the most unbelievable achievement.’
‘No matter what happens I feel like I want to leave with my head held high and feel super proud, we’ve managed to do so much.
‘It’s kind of exceeded all of my expectations, so I’m really proud no matter what happens.’
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The Strictly Come Dancing final airs on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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