Strictly's Layton Williams 'grateful' as he praises co-star in sweet post
Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin have barely known each other for a year - but the Strictly dancers have already built up an impressive history as co-stars and friends.
Strictly star Layton Williams paid tribute to his famous relationship with 2023 pro partner Nikita Kuzmin as he shared a carousel of images of the pair together.
"1 year since we met," he announced to his 237,000 followers in celebration. "Here's some BTS of the madness we got up to. Grateful for our time together but am sending love and luck for your next chapter. I'll be cheering you on."
Nikita and Layton's joint tour following their Strictly stint together went down a storm. However, now Nikita has announced his own solo tour, Midnight Dancer, meaning he will be taking to the stage without his pal.
Nikita clearly appreciated the pictures he'd chosen, which showed the pair dancing, singing and larking around together in various locations, including backstage during Strictly rehearsals and posing at outdoor beauty spots. The dancer exclaimed: "Love you the best ever and friend for life!"
As Layton marked the next stage in Nikita's career, he was also inundated with supportive comments from fans. "Oh FABULOUS post Layton - what a wonderful collection of memories of you both. You did such amazing things with your Strictly experience - truly set the standard for what’s possible from a little dance show," one fan exclaimed.
Get the latest Strictly news straight to your inbox with our Strictly Come Dancing newsletter
READ MORE: Strictly star continues to support Giovanni Pernice after BBC scandal [LATEST]
"I’m so sad your Strictly year is over, but will be cheering for Nikita again on the show this year with you."
Actor Layton had excelled on the dancefloor and even reached the final, before he and Nikita lost out at the last minute, leaving Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola to lift the Glitterball trophy.
Another fan praised the pair for representing same-sex partnerships - something Strictly will not include in this year's line-up.
"An incredible pairing, friendship and journey!! This stood for so so much and made me realise how truly important representation really is!" the fan exclaimed.
Don't miss...
Strictly's Shirley Ballas declares 'I'm not Craig' and makes promise to fans [INSIGHT]
Strictly fans all say same thing as Shirley Ballas makes announcement [ANNOUNCEMENT]
Pete Wicks says Zara was 'pushing' him to do Strictly Come Dancing [LATEST]
"There were so so many more people that celebrated all you both stood for (than those who didn’t) even though it didn’t feel like that sometimes. I don’t think we will see anything as incredible as this for a long time xxx love u both xxx."
A third admiringly chimed in: "What a partnership it is!! You and Nikita brought joy to us all, not just with the dancing but also the growing of your friendship that we got to see before our eyes through your dancing!! You both brought the best out of each other and made one another shine. Truly magical!!
"I so love watching you both dance!! It just draws me in!! Takes me to a happy place!! You will always be team Lakita!! Layton, you left your footprint there, and you were STUNNING!!!!"
A fourth fan concluded: "You inspired, educated, represented and SLAYED!! No matter what, you went out every week with a smile on your faces and made us feel something. That is truly special. Nobody could ever dim your light... THANK YOU. For everything you gave us."
