Yahoo News Strictly's Layton Williams shuts down criticism and Shirley Ballas feud rumours
The Bad Education star said he and partner Nikita Kuzmin are coming back "bigger and stronger" after landing in the dance off.
Watch Layton Williams shut down criticism and Shirley Ballas feud rumours
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Strictly Come Dancing contestant Layton Williams has said he is ready to "shut down" his critics with his performance in Musicals Week and claimed the rumours of a feud with Shirley Ballas were not true.
The Bad Education star ended up in the dance off for the first time at the weekend and after being saved by the judges he has vowed to "come back bigger and stronger".
Williams revealed on This Morning he is hoping to finally silence the "cheating" claims that have been targeted at him because of his stage and modern dance background.
What, how and why?
He said: "No matter what everybody's abilities are before you go on, I've been so open and honest about what I've done. People have seen me on the stage - I get it.
"But you don't see us in the rehearsal room really pushing and trying to one up ourselves every single time. But this week we're hoping to shut it down."
The 29-year-old West End star and his professional partner Nikita Kuzmin will be dancing the Paso Doble to Backstage Romance from Moulin Rouge.
He said: "Obviously, I really wanted to get through to Musicals Week. Our dance is a fighting dance, we're going to come back bigger and stronger."
Williams also shut down claims of a feud between him and head judge Shirley Ballas after she said she would have saved Angela Scanlon from the dance off on Saturday night, and send him home.
The actor said: "Shirley has been on board, that 10 paddle has been out a few times so we heart Shirley. We're very good."
He said of his America Smooth: "It wasn't our best, best performance. It was kind of fair. I took it on the chin a little bit. All day I felt like something was coming."
Kuzmin added: "The judges always give us positive feedback we take what they say, we think about it, if it was a bit lumpy like Shirley says. We take it on the chin, we go back and we work on. The judges know their job and that's why they're there."
Williams has performed on stage in West End musicals Billy Elliot, Everybody's Talking About Jamie and even Thriller, in which he played a young Michael Jackson.
The TV star has studied street dance and ballet and has showed off his flexibility and gymnastic skills during his Strictly dance performances.
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