Kelly: 'I won't walk away from Strictly'

Coronation Street star Craig Kelly has claimed that there is no chance of him walking out of Strictly Come Dancing.

The soap actor, who is partnered by Flavia Cacace, scored his lowest mark of the series on Saturday for his samba.

Craig Revel Horwood said that Kelly's performance was "stiff" and "awkward", and Bruno Tonioli stated that at times it looked like Irish dancing.

Kelly told It Takes Two that he feels the judges are treating him "like a punchbag" on the show, but insisted that they won't deter him from continuing to perform.

"This punch bag thing, I'm not used to someone telling me I'm absolutely rubbish on live TV. I have no other choice but to take it on the chin," he said. "How sweet would that be, if I delivered a dance that made them all smile? I truly believe that I have got potential."

He added: "There's no way I will walk away from this competition thinking I didn't give it 145%. I've been in the dance-off twice, but I beat it and came through. I will never give up."

Speaking about his target of reaching the Blackpool show on November 7, he maintained: "If I can make it to Blackpool, that would be unbelievable. The thing is, I don't want to be greedy, every week is a bonus. The problem is that when you perform on a Saturday, you just become desperate to do the next dance. It's that addictive."