Strictly Come Dancing’s Nikita Kuzmin has hit back at trolls who have continued to make hurtful comments about Layton Williams on Tuesday.
The professional dancer, 25, appeared on ITV’s This Morning to defend his dance partner, 29, who has been at the centre of a trolling storm since he started on the BBC show.
Speaking to hosts Rochelle Humes and Craig Doyle, he said that the tolling gets to Layton and that he finds people’s lack of compassion ‘sad and unnecessary’.
Layton is often targeted by trolls for for his West End background and some claim that the celeb is a ‘professional dancer’ and that he has an ‘unfair’ advantage.
Talking about the hateful comments sent to him online, Layton told This Morning: ‘It’s like: “Can you not just dress like a man, please please please put a suit on!” and I’m like: “Girl, relax!”’
Nikita was quick to defend Layton as he said: ‘We get a bit defensive of our partners and just to see sometimes people speaking things or saying things they shouldn’t be saying.
‘Sometimes things also get to him, and that’s a personal side, I find it sad and unnecessary [the trolling]. At the end of the day, we just want to make people happy, we just want to put on a show…’
Layton added: ‘I’m sure you know how it feels, you can have 1000 amazing messages and then just one [negative] and you’re like: “Urgh!” but in these moments, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… even Beyoncé has haters, so!’
Despite topping the leaderboard every week, the twinkle-toed duo found themselves in the dreaded bottom two on Sunday night.
The pair were thankful that the judges saved them from elimination but were sad to see fellow contestants Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu go home.
While it may have shocked viewers, Nikita said he had a ‘feeling’ they would have to face the dance-off after the negative comments online.
This isn’t the first time the dancing couple has pleaded with the public to be kinder.
Layton recently took to X, formerly known as Twitter, urging harsh critics to ‘use their energy to shower with love’, rather than writing hurtful comments.
Layton has received heaps of praise for his incredible dances on the show but has also been torn down with hate.
Battling the trolls, Layton shared some sassy photos dressed in costume, which saw him perform the Salsa with Nikita.
Alongside the photos, he wrote: ‘Instead of coming at me with hateful comments, use your energy to shower your fave celeb with love instead. Pretty sure it will make us all feel much better!’
Layton has said previously that he seeks support from mental health professionals and currently has access to a counsellor on Strictly.
For Musicals Week, the pair will perform a ‘fighting’ Paso Doble to Backstage Romance from Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
