Dame Arlene Phillips has called for people to give Strictly Come Dancing finalist Layton Williams a break after he became the victim of an online bullying campaign over his dance experience.
West End performer Williams, 29, has been accused of having an unfair advantage over this year’s contestants due to his theatre experience in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Billy Elliott, however former Strictly judge Phillips, who has worked with him personally, says that is not the case.
Speaking to the Mirror, Dame Arlene explained: “Unless the public gets behind Layton, he won’t win, and in many ways, I think that’s a tragedy because yes, he has danced but the force and the personality that Layton puts into it is his own.
“Don’t pick on Layton. Don’t pile on hate,” she added, going on to describe Bury-born Williams as a “very special human being” who “brings joy into a room”.
She also pointed out that he is not the first person to take part in the BBC dance competition with previous dance experience, singling out former Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts as an example, and that public outrage about it was nothing new.
“They’ve had people who have come on before who’ve danced... there was always an anger from certain members of the public that they had danced before,” she added to the publication.
Dame Arelene won’t have long to wait to see if her words will go unheard.
Williams is one of the three remaining finalists and will go head-to-head with Ellie Leach and Freddie Brazier this weekend to compete for the coveted glitterball trophy.
