Whittle: 'Stenson is my biggest critic'

Ricky Whittle has revealed that his Hollyoaks co-star and real-life girlfriend Carley Stenson does not hold back when judging his Strictly Come Dancing performances.

The 27-year-old actor, who plays Calvin Valentine on the Channel 4 soap, admitted that he relies on Stenson (Steph Cunningham) for honest opinions off air after he hits the dancefloor with Natalie Lowe each week.

Whittle told the Liverpool Echo: "Carley comes to watch me dance at the live shows. I like it if she doesn't see the full routine until the night. She's my biggest critic. She tells me what was good and she's very honest."

Asked how Stenson copes with his romantic Strictly dances, the soap star replied: "Carley gets on well with Natalie, they actually get on too well, we all went out for dinner and they were ganging up on me.

"They are the two most important girls to me at the moment, so it's important they get on. It's the same with Gemma Merna who plays Carmel, my on-screen wife in Hollyoaks, it was important to me that they got on well. I'm doing intimate dances with Natalie so it's nice to know they get on."

Stenson recently insisted that she does not find the pair's routines threatening "at all".