Strictly’s Layton Williams wants a 10 from Craig for his new role

layton williams as the emcee, cabaret
Strictly’s Layton Williams wants a 10 from CraigPR/Marc Brennan

Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams has joked about hoping for a 10 from judge Craig Revel Horwood for his new stage role.

The actor and dancer is currently playing the role of EmCee in the London run of Cabaret, with Heartstopper star Rhea Norwood portraying the iconic role of Sally Bowles.

In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Layton revealed who is coming to see him at the Kit Kat Club and his hopes for the performance.

layton williams as the emcee, cabaret
PR/Marc Brennan

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"Nikita [Kuzmin] will be definitely be there," he told us, teasing a few other Strictly stars in attendance.

"Imagine '10' at the end of Cabaret," he added. "Craig [Revel Horwood] pulling his paddle out," before joking to his co-star Rhea: "He’ll give you a nine, don’t be offended."

Layton admits he and Nikita have been pretty much inseparable since competing together in last year's Strictly series. The two finished runner-ups in 2023, losing out to Coronation Street star Ellie Leach and her professional partner Vito Coppola, who took home the glitter ball trophy.

strictly come dancing 2023 semi final layton and nikita perform a charleston
Guy Levy - BBC

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"We haven’t stopped hanging out since Strictly, I literally just got off the phone with him," he said. "The Strictly lot just got announced and they’re all back to it and it’s weird as that’s the new crew."

Asked who he keeps in touch with, he replied: "I went to go and see their show [The Strictly Come Dancing professionals live tour] the other week just to show support. Always love from afar."

Layton's new role sees him return to his musical theatre roots, with the star having started out on the London stage in Billy Elliott: The Musical and Everyone's Talking About Jamie.

layton williams as the emcee, cabaret
PR/Marc Brennan

Layton and Rhea will play their respective roles for a strictly limited run, appearing in performances up until September 21.

Behind-the-scenes the two have been bonding, with Layton even giving his co-star some Strictly-style lessons.

"One day during rehearsals, I did make Layton teach me some dancing," said Rhea. "We did a bit of Waltz."

"She was pretty good you know, had to work on that neck a little bit," Layton joked, clarifying: "No, you were fab."

Tickets for Cabaret can be bought at ATG Tickets and Love Theatre.

Strictly Come Dancing will return later this year on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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