Hot favourite Ricky’s battle

OLDHAM-born “Strictly Come Dancing” star Ricky Whittle was forced to battle for his survival on the show just a day after being bailed over an alleged assault.

The 29-year-old actor, who plays Calvin Valentine in Channel 4’s teen soap “Hollyoaks”, was held in police custody for 10 hours following an incident in the early hours of Friday morning.

He was then forced to battle for his place on the show and next week’s quarter-finals during Saturday night’s dance-off.

It is alleged the star struck photographer Steve Farrell as he reversed his pick-up truck after leaving a party for his “Hollyoaks” co-star Zoe Lister at Liverpool’s Parr Street studios.

Ricky, who is believed to have walked into a police station within hours of the drama, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a photographer.

He was questioned until 4.30pm on Friday when he was released on bail.

A Merseyside Police spokesman said the incident involved a collision between a car and a male pedestrian, who suffered minor injuries.

Before Saturday’s show, bookmakers had ranked Ricky as odds on favourite to win the contest. The actor is partnered with Australian professional dancer Natalie Lowe in “Strictly” and has scored highly throughout the 10 weeks of the competition.

Just over 24 hours after the incident, he scored 31 out of a possible 40, his lowest score of the competition so far, for his rock and roll dance routine.

It was feared that fans had deserted him on Saturday as he was forced to perform in the dance-off for the first time against former “EastEnders” actress Natalie Cassidy.

However, judges voted to keep the actor in the show, making him one of the final four couples left in the competition.