Strictly's Craig Revel Horwood addresses 'quitting' rumours and shares future career plans

Craig Revel Horwood is a household name for his razor-sharp comments on BBC's hit show Strictly Come Dancing, where he has been the linchpin of the judging panel for two decades.

Revered for his role as the delightfully wicked panto villain, Craig has been a fixture since the beginning, initially sharing the panel with legends like Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, and Bruno Tonioli yet he remains the sole judge from the original line-up.

In an interview with The Mirror about his tenure on Strictly, Craig showed no signs of hanging up his judge's paddle any time soon.

He commented: "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!"

Speaking about what he'd be doing if it weren't for Strictly, Craig revealed he'd continue to be a director,reports the Mirror.

Craig added: "I love directing musicals, I would love to direct TV and film. I have choreographed movies like Paddington 2, for instance, which I really loved.I'm not just going to retire and just weed the garden."

Yet, on Saturday evening, Craig faced criticisms following his remarks on Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal's Rumba on the dance floor.

He caused a stir by focusing on their lifts and promptly branded them "illegal", as he commented: "There were two lifts. One foot should remain on the floor at all times.

"Of course, a professional would be marked down for that. I think even a disqualification darling, because I think you should follow the rules."

His feedback was echoed in his low score of four for the duo. Responding to criticism on It Takes Two, Pete candidly explained why they kept their lifts in.

He said: "I don't think we should get any blame for that. As far as I'm concerned, that's the dance so far that I've enjoyed the most, surprising."

"I felt like I was just dancing as me rather than trying to remember steps, that's the first time I've done that. I was just going with it and felt like I wasn't trying to just dance without thinking about it. That's why we did it, it felt right."

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday on BBC One from 6:25pm