‘Strictly Come Dancing’ introduces another same-sex dance couple this year, as contestant Layton Williams is paired with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin.
Kuzmin first joined the show in 2021, and he is already in his third year. Meanwhile, Williams previously expressed:
“I’m happy so long as it’s a guy.”
“I’ve said I want to dance with a man, I want to be thrown around,” he further stated after being announced as a part of ‘Strictly’s line-up for this year.
The 29-year-old openly gay actor and singer continued,
“He [Kuzmin] is going to whip me into shape, and keep me on the straight and narrow because I do like to think I know what I am doing and do the most, but I really don’t have a clue!”
Williams and Kuzmin’s pairing was confirmed on September 16 during their pre-recorded launch show. Moreover, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ 2022 featured two same-sex dance partners: Jayde Adams with Karen Hauer and Richie Anderson with Giovanni Pernice.
Not to mention, celebrity baker John Whaite was also paired with professional dancer Johannes Radebe, making history as the first same-sex duo to take ‘Strictly’s dance floor.
Related: ‘Strictly’s Johannes Radebe on John Whaite’s Confession of Love
For this year, Williams and Kuzmin are the only same-sex pair to be featured in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
Source: attitude.co.uk
Kuzmin is attractive but I’m surprised that Attitude (and Out and other gay publications that have written this up) either didn’t bother to do the 4 seconds of internet research it would take to point out that he’s heterosexual and has been in a long term LIVE-IN relationship with an attractive female for quite a few years now. He’s got an interesting back-story and the Ukraine connection, which is timely today, and I do think the pairing should have been reported, but it’s missing a detail not to point this out – particularly when both John and Johannes from the prior Strictly Come Dancing pairing were openly gay.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I actually am pleased to see Kuzmin doing this, assuming he does a professional and quality job. But he shouldn’t be viewed as ‘brave’ or ‘applauded’ for doing what is, frankly, the job he gets paid for and trained to do. And I would like to see any female, straight or gay/bi/pan whatever, dance with an openly LGBT same sex partner (or act with one, etc.) likewise, but sadly what his sexuality is, when it is known, should be part of the reporting here (and at other websites).
It’s about damn time, all of these dance shows should have featured gay couples from the beginning. Glad they’re finally getting around to allowing two guys to dance together just like they would a guy and a girl.