Strictly’s Layton Williams gets a rare standing ovation from Craig Revel Horwood as he and Nikita Kuzmin break down in tears during an emotional moment in the semi-final

Strictly Come Dancing’s Layton Williams received a rare standing ovation from Craig Revel Horwood during Saturday night’s semi-final.

The actor, 29, and his professional dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, 25, scored a perfect 40 for the second week in a row as they tried to secure a place in next week’s final.

Last week Layton scored a perfect 40 for a mesmerizing Paso Doble, and again this week a perfect score for Charleston to Fit as a Fiddle by Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.

They first danced the Rumba to Rihanna’s Lift Me Up, for which they received 36 out of 40 points, before leaving Craig, 58, stunned by their Charleston.

Craig stood up and gave them a very rare standing ovation for the routine as he clapped for them, while Layton and Nikita seemed very surprised by the praise from the strict judges.

Craig told them, “That’s the best Charleston I’ve seen in twenty years.”

While Motsi Mabuse echoed him as she added: “There is nothing that has been better, and this is a testament to your hard work and everyone around you, well done.”

Craig, Motsi, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke all gave Layton and Nikita 10 points for the routine, earning a perfect score for the second time.

The pair appeared completely overwhelmed as they received their scores and Nikita burst into tears as he paid tribute to his dance partner.

Nikita also made a cryptic comment about Layton still bringing people “joy” despite what’s going on in his “personal life” while hinting at difficulties.

He said: ‘You try to bring joy to everyone – no matter what’s going on outside or in your personal life – I’m not going to get into that – you always bring joy.

“You make me shine with how much you shine, you are one of my best friends.”

Layton will be hoping to secure their place in next Saturday’s final as they take on Ellie Leach, Bobby Brazier and Annabel in the race for the glitterball. The three finalists will be announced during Sunday’s results show.

Their latest dance comes after Nikita hit back at trolls who continued to make hurtful comments about Layton during his Strictly stint.

The pair discussed the ongoing trolling during a joint appearance on ITV’s This Morning last week, with Nikita describing it as ‘sad and unnecessary’.

Layton is often targeted by trolls due to his West End background with some claiming the celebrity is a ‘professional dancer’ and that he has an ‘unfair’ advantage.

Regarding the hateful comments sent to him online, Layton said: ‘It’s like, “Can’t you just dress like a man, please put on a suit!” and I’m like, “Girl, relax!”

Nikita was quick to defend Layton when he said, “We get a little defensive with our partners and sometimes see people saying things or saying things they shouldn’t.

‘Sometimes things happen to him too, and that is a personal side, I find it sad and unnecessary [the trolling]. At the end of the day we just want to make people happy, we just want to put on a show…’

Layton added, “I’m sure you know how it feels, you can have a thousand great messages and then only one [negative] and you say, “Urgh!” but in these moments I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… even Beyoncé has haters, so!’

Layton also recently turned to X, formerly known as Twitter, and urged harsh critics to “use their energy to shower love,” instead of writing hurtful comments.

Layton has received tremendous praise for his incredible dancing on the show, but has also been brought down by hate.

He wrote, “Instead of coming at me with hateful comments, use your energy to shower your favorite celeb with love. We’re pretty sure it will make us all feel a lot better!’

Layton has previously said he is seeking support from mental health professionals and is currently accessing a counselor on Strictly.

Elsewhere this week, the identity of Layton’s mystery boyfriend was revealed after the couple enjoyed a romantic getaway last month.

It was confirmed that Layton has found love with deli owner and fellow actor James Harper.

The couple, who became Instagram official in November, hit it off when they met at the Glastonbury festival.

A source told The Sun: ‘James has been by Layton’s side the whole time on Strictly.

‘He even traveled to Blackpool to see him perform there. They are clearly made for each other.’

James is a fellow actor, has previously appeared on stage and now also owns and runs a deli and bar in London.

MailOnline contacted Layton’s representatives for comment at the time.

Layton revealed his new boyfriend with a ‘hard launch’ on Instagram on James’ birthday.

Layton featured his husband in a sweet post wishing him a happy birthday, but revealed he would keep his name and further details private.

He shared on Instagram Story: ‘Congratulations on my favorite! #hardlaunch but no @, because you are too [nosy].’

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Layton previously hinted he was in a relationship, saying on Alan Carr’s Life’s a Beach podcast: “I have a man, you know, it’s new though, it’s just been a soft launch on Instagram.”