A competitor on the forthcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing has requested to be partnered with someone of the same gender.
Last week, it was revealed that Bad Education actor Layton Williams, who has previously acted in Billy Elliot, Hairspray, Rent, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, will be joining the upcoming season of the BBC series.
According to reports, the singer has asked producers if he may be the fifth same-sex couple on the programme, following in the footsteps of Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer and Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice, who participated in 2022.
‘This year, everyone is hoping for a same-sex pair that can go the distance,’ a source said, referring to the fact that both same-sex couples were eliminated inside the first few weeks of the competition last season.
‘Layton is a terrific performer, and the pros will definitely queue to work with him’, someone told The Mirror.
Graziano Di Prima and Johannes Radebe are two professional dancers who have been mentioned as possible partners.
Nicola Adams and Katya Jones were the first same-sex coupling on the dance series in 2020, and were followed the following year by John Whaite and Johannes.
Layton, 28, rose to prominence at the age of 12 when he was cast in the main role of Billy Elliot: The Musical, and he has since been in The Cleaner and I Hate Suzie.
He also provided narration for Dannii Minogue’s current reality series I Kissed A Boy.
However, his experience on stage has already been speculated to be set to ‘ruffle a few feathers’.
A source told MailOnline that while Layton was an incredible dancer and performer, his casting could cause some issues.
‘He is professionally trained and has extensive experience with learning difficult choreography, which many of the contestants, especially those from a sporting or political background, will at first find impossible,’ they said.
‘The show has been criticised in the past for recruiting contestants with a background in dance and this year will be no different as Layton is a star in his own right and known for being an impeccable dancer on stage.’
This Morning personality Josie Gibson, former Love Island star Zara McDermott, and even Wham! icon Andrew Ridgeley are said to be competing this year.
Angela Ribbon, 78, is another name in the running.
The broadcaster initially hosted Come Dancing, the show that inspired the BBC show, in the 1980s.
Strictly Come Dancing is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
Source My Celebrity Life.
