Layton Williams praises Strictly for allowing him to be “flamboyant”

Williams previously told RadioTimes.com and other press he wanted to wear costumes that were "fabulous and authentic" to what he would represent, and now he feels he has done just that with the help of the Strictly team.

The performer told RadioTimes.com and other press that he joined Strictly so he could be himself and have fun.
"In order to have fun, I really needed to be true to exactly how I felt," he explained.

He continued: "We'd always have discussions in the beginning where you say, 'What am I giving here?' Sometimes I like being [in] full glamour, like if you see me on the red carpet sometimes I'll be doing that. And I don't want to put that side of my away just because I'm on national TV. I want to celebrate that."

He explained that he would have conversations with the team about how they could help when he was feeling "more expressive".

Williams said: "The Strictly team have been so fabulous because sometimes I think it might be a first for them to have someone who's been excessively flamboyant.

"And they've really gotten behind me. I'll be like, 'I want to wear that cheeky little moment' and they'll be like, 'Okay cool if that's how you feel comfortable'."

Something that Williams has shared at length on his social media is parents of young people reaching out to him, thanking him for the representation he has been showing on screen.

Speaking about receiving those kinds of messages, Williams told RadioTimes.com and other press: "Everything that has come along with it, like the stories that we get from these young people, the most heartwarming things.

"It's just a little ripple effect of love that has been spread across the UK."

Strictly Come Dancing: The Final airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 16th December at 7pm.

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