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.
Related: Strictly’s Layton Williams says stage return is like 'coming home'
"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."
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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.
Related: Strictly's Stacey Dooley lands new BBC role
"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 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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Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
