Layton Williams has had the most captivating Strictly journey and deserves place in final
There’s no doubt that even if Layton doesn’t win the Glitterball trophy this weekend, his time on the show has him going down in Strictly history.
Layton Williams’s journey to the Strictly Come Dancing final has been far from easy. From the moment he was announced as a contestant, Layton has been subjected to copious amounts of online hate.
Despite all of this, Layton has turned up every week, giving his all on the dance floor, and it’s safe to say that watching him tune out the haters each week and perform enthralling dances is just one of the reasons he will be a memorable Strictly finalist.
Strictly is a TV show that excels because we watch a range of contestants go through triumphs as well as tribulations as they try to avoid the dance-off. Its varying range of contestants, from complete novices to people who have danced before but have never done ballroom, helps us get invested in the show as we make weekly predictions on who will be knocked out and who will make it to the final.
Throughout its 21 seasons, Strictly has never been about only novices learning to dance, but about teaching celebrities the art of ballroom dancing while providing us viewers with some light-hearted entertainment.
Week-on-week, Layton has not only helped the show provide viewers with some light-hearted entertainment in the form of his spectacular dances – including the first perfect score of the series for his Moulin Rouge-themed Paso doble in Musicals Week – but he has also contributed to breaking barriers on the show by becoming the first male celebrity to wear dresses and skirts in his routines, and by getting the world of glitter and sequins to discuss the emotional toll online hate has on people, as shown by Motsi Mabuse commending both Layton and his professional dance partner Nikita Kuzmin for “coming back, never losing yourself, always trying to push the boundaries, [and] always trying to bring something very different" amidst all the negativity.
Layton’s journey this season has shown that while many believe previous dance experience is an advantage, it can also be a downfall. Week 10 saw Layton in the bottom two and almost eliminated before judges chose to save him in a dance-off with Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu.
Layton’s lower position on the leaderboard and dance-off reinforced that having experience in other dance styles is not always an advantage. It demonstrated there is a difference between musical theatre dancing, which you often do alone, and the softness of ballroom dancing with a partner.
What was even more thrilling about Layton’s position in the bottom two was him not only being able to joke about it on Twitter (which was recently rebranded as X) but also his determination to bounce back the following week, leading to him earning this season's first perfect score.
If you fail to see Layton’s journey for the truly captivating watch that it is because Layton has danced professionally before, then you’re missing out. Layton has proved his place in the final every week. It’s clear he’s progressed from week 1 to the final by putting in hard work. Dismissing his brilliant performances because of his background is unfair, and is also disrespectful to all the other contestants with previous dance experience who didn’t make it half as far as he has.
Layton is not the first Strictly contestant to have dance experience. We’ve had the likes of Kym Marsh, Ashley Roberts and Aston Merrygold with previous dance experience and none of them lifted the Glitterball. So, its clear that having previous dance experience doesn’t guarantee success in Strictly, or even a place close to the final. In fact, JLS singer Aston was eliminated sixth during the 15th season, and he’s known for his dance skills.
It’s also not unusual for other dancing shows such as Dancing on Ice to have professional dancers involved. For example, in 2019, former Strictly professional dancer James Jordan won Dancing on Ice.
Despite being centred in a world of glitter and fun, in which contestants can make the dances look easy, we’ve seen year after year that it’s not easy to stay near the top of the leaderboard every single week. It takes time and dedication to get out on the dance floor and prove you deserve a place in the Strictly final. It takes even more strength to do it after you’ve been in the dance-off and in the face of online hate.
There’s no doubt that even if Layton doesn’t win the Glitterball trophy this weekend, his time on the show has him going down in Strictly history for his incredible dance displays, dazzling presence and his tremendous courage to remain unapologetically himself.
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The Strictly Come Dancing final airs on Saturday 16th January at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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