Layton Williams has bitten back 'why shouldn't we' before
Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left making the same complaint about his latest performance. The
Actor was responding to claims of 'inappropriate' scenes on the
BBC One dance contest last weekend which saw him and his dance partner Nikita Kuzmin swinging from a pole. As the competition headed on its annual jaunt to Blackpool, Bury-born Layton and professional dancer Nikita caused the most stir as his performance during the show’s Tower Ballroom special was dubbed "creative genius". The West End star, also known for starring in Bad Education, and Nikita were praised for their pole-based couple's choice routine to Ain’t No Other Man by Christina Aguilera. However, Strictly fans were shocked by the pole element of the routine - some in a good way and others in a not so good one. And now Layton has hit back. READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Johannes Radebe tells Annabel Croft 'keep going darling' after admission BLACK FRIDAY OFFER: Get three months of MEN Premium for FREE with our amazing Black Friday deal. Just click here to give it a go. When he was asked about criticism from former Strictly professionals Brendan Cole and James Jordan over a pole-based routine on last week’s episode of the BBC One show, Layton said: "I feel like we’ve always come out and kind of like done something potentially a little bit more out there pushing the boundaries… we’ve thrown in this and that… and there’s always an element of surprise. "Why shouldn’t we be swinging from poles and living our best lives? It went down pretty (well) if you ask me so I’m really proud and I stand by it, it’s also a couple’s choice. Get into it." Meanwhile, Nikita said the dance had “nothing more to it” than swinging around a pole and dancing. He added: “At the end of the day, we’re just two boys dancing together and we are having fun, we’re trying to bring a show, and well, if somebody doesn’t like this, it’s absolutely fine." The pair were involved in some pole action during the show's Blackpool special (Image: BBC) Layton also said people referencing his background performing in the West End was “disrespectful” to Strictly’s professional dancers, who are “unbelievable” performers. He explained that the hardest part of competing on the series has been “the noise and the chaos and the silly questions and the silly assumptions” that he has had to deal with. He also said: "I think I’ve kind of learned to kind of just push that away, leave everything on the dancefloor knowing that like, I’ve put my heart and soul into this. I think sometimes because of the conversations, it’s like, ‘oh, yeah, well’ and (this is) my hard work, by the way, but I just really am grateful that, one, I got to have this opportunity and (two) I’ve got this guy to dance with because we literally… (have) the best time." Layton and Nikita during their latest routine (Image: PA) On Saturday night (November 25) during their return to the Elstree studio ballroom, Layton and Nikita opened the show with an
American smooth to It’s Oh So Quiet by Bjork, which scored the routine a total of 34 points. But the pair were criticised by head judge Shirley Balls who said the routine was “gestural and fun” and not “smooth enough”, which attracted boos from the live audience. And fans appeared to agree with Shirley. @ahodgsonx said: "Overmarked again. Not an American smooth. Unfair that they scored more than Nigel and katya." @jackodbn commented: "I do appreciate how hard he’s trying but that American smooth didn’t feel very smooth. Still a highly competent dance but it was one of the weakest tonight." @sandersonjudith added: "Not sure layton is improving week on week and this definitely wasn't an American smooth. Wrong
music and styling. Didn't care for the choreography. It's ok to push boundaries but sometimes traditional is ok."