Strictly Come Dancing 2023: Meet the West End star Layton Williams - when does Strictly 2023 start?

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 is just around the corner with anticipation growing stronger by the second. The show is back for its 21st season after celebrating its landmark 20th in style in 2022.

Recently, the start date for the show was confirmed with fans getting to see the show air for the first time in 2023 on Saturday, September 16. The start date comes just weeks after the class of 2023 was revealed.

A name that may have caused some controversy when he was revealed was West End star Layton Williams, as he is trained in various ways of dance. However, he assured fans he is not trained in ballroom.

One of the younger competitors this year at 29-years-old, Layton attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. During his time there, Williams was featured in a children’s documentary School for Stars which was broadcast on CBBC.

His first job was at the age of twelve playing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical on London’s West End. After that, he also played Young Michael Jackson in Thriller – Live musical whilst still a child.

Williams’ first big break came in 2012, when he was cast as Stephen Carmichael in the BBC comedy Bad Education and also appeared in the 2015 spinoff film. More recently, he landed the lead role in the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End, where he would play the role of Jamie for 11 months and will play the lead in Los Angeles.