'Luba has become part of the family - she even does the school run!'

ADAM Thomas has spoken of the 'frustrating' part of his Strictly Come Dancing experience - but said that working so closely with dance partner Luba Mushtuk has led to her becoming part of the Thomas family.

The Manchester-born star is among nine celebrities left in the BBC competition before tonight's results show.

But the 35-year-old said managing dance rehearsals alongside filming commitments for Waterloo Road have been affecting his time on the hit show.

Adam, who plays Donte Charles in the BBC One series, said: "I knew what I was getting into but firstly, I didn't think it would be this demanding and this hard just because my work schedule is so busy at the minute.

"I obviously don't get any time to myself because I go from one job to another. It's been full-on but I've enjoyed the process because I'm sort of becoming stronger because of it. It's teaching me a lot about myself. It's been tough but we're doing OK."