Strictly Come Dancing’s Layton Williams’ chilling warning after terrifying encounter
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams has shared the story of how he was nearly robbed in London when two shifty men cornered the car he was heading home in
Layton Williams has warned fans to be careful after he was recently nearly robbed in London(Image: PA)
Strictly Come Dancing favourite Layton Williams has detailed a frightening encounter with two men who tried to rob him after a late-night filming session.
The 31-year-old actor, who is known for his roles in Bad Education and multiple West End productions, spoke about the incident on Instagram, where he warned followers to stay alert when travelling through central London.
Layton explained that the attempted theft happened shortly after he wrapped filming on a new project. He told fans he had been helping a castmate to her car when he noticed a man watching him closely.
“This guy was just like, looking at me a lot. He was looking at me in a way that was just like, it was fishy,” he said. The performer, who reached the Strictly final in 2023 with professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, said he then climbed into the back seat of his pre-booked car.
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The former Strictly star claims two men tried to get into the boot of a car he was heading home in(Image: laytonwilliams/Instagram)
Layton shared the news on social media(Image: PA)
Layton sensed something was wrong and looked behind him only to realise a second man was involved. He added: “There’s two of them, and my other guy is crouched at the back of the boot, like stopping it from closing, and is trying to lift it up.”
The stage performer says that he confronted the pair immediately, joking: “Girl, not on my watch. You ain’t taking my laptop.” Layton stressed that while any stolen items would have been replaceable, it was how bold the thieves were that shocked him.
“You think you’re just gonna open up the boot and run away with my things,” he scoffed, adding that the items were heavy and difficult to carry.
He also acknowledged that it was potentially dangerous to intervene, telling followers: “I know you should probably just stay put in those situations and just stay safe.”
Fans rushed to his comments section with messages of support, expressing their relief that he was not harmed and none of his things were stolen.
One wrote: “So sad and scary that you aren’t even safe when getting into a pre booked car.” Another added: “Really shakes you up but thank you for spreading awareness…always trust your gut.”
The attempted robbery comes during what was an emotional period for the actor following his appearance on Who Do You Think You Are? in May this year.
In the BBC genealogy series, Layton discovered that his ancestors in Jamaica were enslaved as children. At the time, he told The Mirror: “When you are a person of colour you always know that that is probably the eventuality…to actually have it all spelled out to you that your family would have been slaves.”
