Who is Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams? The dancer who is making history on BBC's popular competition

Stage and screen actor Layton Williams was announced in August as a new cast member for the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing. Born performer: Layton, who at the time was training at Carol Godby Theatre Workshop in his hometown of Bury, beat over 4,000 hopefuls to become the West End production of Billy Elliot in 2006 - becoming the second non-white and first mixed race youth to star in the show West End sensation: In the musical number Electricity, Layton performed 16 pirouettes, showcasing his raw talent for dance from a young age as well as going onto star in musicals including Hairspray!, Rent, and as 'Young Michael' in Thriller Live! Trained to perfection: Layton attended the renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School - whose alumni includes Amy Winehouse and Rita Ora - in Marylebone, London until 2008 TV gigs: Layton's success on stage led to Layton earning roles on the small screen, starring in Jack Whitehall's terrible-teacher comedy Bad Education, and in the second season of Billie Piper's Sky drama I Hate Suzie. Strictly 'cheat' claims Every drag queen's dream: From January 2019 he played the title character of Jamie New in Everybody's Talking About Jamie until May 2022, playing the character originally on the West End, but eventually played the role on the UK tour of the production Controversy: Layton's extensive background in dance and performance may irritate viewers and his co-stars alike as the show looks to recruit nonprofessionals who will be learning tough choreography for the first time Layton was one of the first contestants confirmed for this series, and will be joining the likes of Amanda Abbington, Angela Rippon, Les Dennis, and Adam Thomas. Becoming part of Strictly's third ever same-sex pairing Same-sex pairing: It comes after openly gay actor Layton confirmed in August he will be partnered with a male professional for the BBC show, which starts this weekend Strictly starting soon: Strictly Come Dancing will kick off this weekend on Saturday 16 September, with viewers finally seeing which pro partners the celebrities will be paired with It comes after openly gay actor Layton confirmed in August he will be partnered with a male professional for the BBC show, which starts this weekend.