I will keep working till I'm 80 if I don't get cancelled first, darling

He's the acid-tongued judge celebrities dread after a misstep on the Strictly dancefloor.

- ROSE HILL

And it's clear that Craig Revel Horwood adores the panto villain role he's played for the past two decades.

He tells the Mirror: "I have softened up a bit but I suppose the dancing has got a lot better.

"When we first started 20 years ago, it wasn't particularly good at all."

Craig was 39 when he landed a seat on the judging panel next to the late Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli. He's the only one out of those four still sitting there now - and he says he won't be leaving any time soon.

"I have no intention of quitting because it's a fantastic Saturday job that I intend to do into my 80s, as long as I'm still compos mentis, darling... and if I haven't been cancelled before then!

"But what would I do if I weren't doing it? Remain a director. I love directing musicals and I would love to direct TV and film.

"I have choreographed movies like Paddington 2, for instance, which I really loved. I'm not going to retire and just weed the garden."

Craig, who turns 60 next year, is reflecting on his passion for music and dance by releasing an album of songs that tell the story of his hard-fought path to success.

"They're all personal to me," the Aussie admits.

He recalls his mum taking him to see Jesus Christ Superstar in Sydney when he was eight, saying: "I thought it was amazing and I didn't know what musical theatre was at the time. It was modern back then."

Craig, who was born in the small town of Ballarat, in Victoria, moved to Melbourne to kick-start his dance career - but his first job was as a trainee cameraman at TV station Channel 6.