Esther Rantzen SLAMS Strictly’s ‘limelight hogger’ Layton Williams claiming he has an unfair advantage and should not be in the final – 19 years after she took to the BBC dance floor

Dame Esther Rantzen has claimed that Strictly's Layton Williams should not be allowed to complete Saturday's final due to his previous dancing experience.

The broadcaster, 83, said BBC bosses had “lost the plot” by signing up the actor, 29, and insisted he had an unfair advantage over fellow finalists Ellie Leach, 22, and Bobby Brazier, 20.

Esther, who finished eighth in the 2014 series, also accused Layton of 'hogging the limelight' in a letter to The Daily Telegraph.

Writing: 'A professional dancer like the brilliant Layton Williams should never be given a role as a contestant on Strictly,' claiming this was unfair to both the other finalists and viewers at home.

'As an avid fan of the program (and a failed contestant on series two – my deepest condolences to my dance partner, Anton(Du Beke)) I wonder why the production team seem to have lost the plot this year in recruiting Williams.'

The broadcaster said BBC bosses had 'lost the plot' by signing up the 29-year-old actor, insisting he had an unfair advantage over fellow finalists Ellie Leach and Bobby Brazier (Layton pictured with professional partner Nikita Kuzmin)

She went on to say she believed it was actually 57-year-old Annabel Croft, who was voted out in the semi-final, who would have to compete for the glitterball trophy alongside Bobby and Ellie this weekend.

Layton, who works with pro Nikita Kuzmin, has come under fire from viewers for his on-stage experience and previous dance training, having starred in West End productions Everyone's Talking About Jamie, Rent and Billy Elliot.

It comes after the actor hinted that the hate he has received since appearing on the show could be due to his multiracial background and the fact that he is gay.

Layton said the level of trolling was 'shocking' and admitted that while Strictly has featured same-sex couples in the past, he is the first 'queer' contestant to fully express their 'flamboyant' personality on the dance floor.

Ahead of Saturday's final, he said: “I was obviously aware that there might be noise, but I definitely didn't expect how much it would be because I'm certainly not the first person to be in this position and I I don't understand why this is shocking horror news, because I'm not the first and won't be the last. Let's keep it moving, you know?

“From the beginning I thought, cool, if people expect a certain level, let's give it to them and then some.”

He also claims that his critics only criticize him when he gets high scores and that his social media quieted down during the weeks when he received lower scores from the judges, such as when he danced the Viennese Waltz to There Are Worse Things I Could Do by Grease and only received 28 out of 40 points.

Esther, who finished eighth in the 2014 series, also accused Layton of 'hogging the limelight' (pictured on the show with professional partner Anton Du Beke)

She went on to claim that it was actually 57-year-old Annabel Croft, who was voted out in the semi-final, who would have to compete for the glitterball trophy alongside Bobby and Ellie.

Layton, who works with pro Nikita Kuzmin, has come under fire from viewers for his on-stage experience and previous dance training, having starred in West End productions Everyone's Talking About Jamie, Rent (pictured) and Billy Elliot

“It was hard, the pressure of feeling like you have to do well.”

“Here's the funny thing, no one goes hard and moans or complains when I'm rubbish… remember the Viennese Waltz? I didn't get many tweets that week, did I! It's only when you act cute that people want to put you down, and that's fine, and we've managed to get around that.

“It didn't define my journey. What has defined my journey is who we have been able to inspire, not people who are keyboard warriors, which is only a small percentage.”

The trolling echoes 2018 when former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, 42, was vilified for being too talented of a dancer.

However, in contrast to the online negativity, Williams says that when he is approached by Strictly fans on the street, he is shown a lot of love as he admits starring in one of the BBC's most watched shows has boosted his public profile .

He said: 'When I was on the street, darling, I was shopping in Selfridges on Sunday doing my thing and I was approached and I thought, oh my God, I'm on TV… love is crazy, they come really towards me and no one comes up to me on the street and tries to curse me out, you know what I mean?

'Honestly, I take this away and look back on my Strictly journey with a smile. It's all love here. I found a new friend, so I'm happy.'

Strictly Come Dancing: The Final is on Saturday December 16 at 7pm, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

COME STRICTLY DANCE 2023: THE PROFILES OF THE PARTICIPANTS

Layton Williams

Age: 28

Profession: Actor

Layton says: 'Absolutely exciting to confirm that I will be taking part in Britain's most iconic dancing competition! It's time to take it to the ballroom. I'm so excited to learn new skills from the best. Bring on the sequins… ALL the sequins!”

Age: 22

Profession: Coronation Street star

Ellie says: 'It still doesn't feel real that I'm going to do Strictly!! It's always been a dream of mine, so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!'

Age: 20

Profession: EastEnders star and model

Bobby says: 'I'm so excited to be part of the Strictly line-up, I can't wait to start training as a professional dancer and add a few moves to my locker. I look forward to performing for everyone.”