{"id":42028,"date":"2023-12-16T15:00:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-16T14:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1944346"},"modified":"2023-12-16T17:08:41","modified_gmt":"2023-12-16T16:08:41","slug":"layton-williams-praises-strictly-for-allowing-him-to-be-flamboyant","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/layton-williams-praises-strictly-for-allowing-him-to-be-flamboyant\/","title":{"rendered":"Layton Williams praises Strictly for allowing him to be \u201cflamboyant\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

He said: “The Strictly team have been so fabulous.” <\/p>

By Katelyn Mensah\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 16 December 2023 at 14:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Before he even stepped foot onto the Strictly Come Dancing<\/a> dance floor, Layton Williams wanted \u00a0\u201cgo out there and slay\u201d<\/a>, and he has been doing just that each week.<\/p>\n

While he found himself in the top half of the leaderboard<\/a> for weeks on end, it was only recently that the actor scored a perfect 40 \u2013 but that isn\u2019t Williams\u2019s main focus when it comes to Strictly.<\/p>\n

Williams previously told RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other press he wanted to wear costumes that were \u201cfabulous and authentic\u201d to what he would represent, and now he feels he has done just that with the help of the Strictly team.<\/p>

The performer told RadioTimes.com<\/strong> and other press that he joined Strictly so he could be himself and have fun.<\/div>\n

\u201cIn order to have fun, I really needed to be true to exactly how I felt,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cWe\u2019d always have discussions in the beginning where you say, \u2018What am I giving here?\u2019 Sometimes I like being [in] full glamour, like if you see me on the red carpet sometimes I\u2019ll be doing that. And I don\u2019t want to put that side of my away just because I\u2019m on national TV. I want to celebrate that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained that he would have conversations with the team about how they could help when he was feeling \u201cmore expressive\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Nikita\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Nikita Kuzmin and Layton Williams. BBC\/Guy Levy<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Williams said: \u201cThe Strictly team have been so fabulous because sometimes I think it might be a first for them to have someone who\u2019s been excessively flamboyant.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they\u2019ve really gotten behind me. I\u2019ll be like, \u2018I want to wear that cheeky little moment\u2019 and they\u2019ll be like, \u2018Okay cool if that\u2019s how you feel comfortable\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffe\ud83e\udd79\ud83d\udcab pic.twitter.com\/vtEFVwmg0v<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Layton Williams (@LaytonWilliams) October 3, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>