ACTOR Antony Cotton said he was ‘speechless’ after dancing his way to victory for Comic Relief.

The Coronation Street star, from Edenfield, stormed to victory after his performance of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, set in an old people’s home, was a hit with the panellists and the viewers.

He beat West End star Jodie Prenger, who danced along to Cameo’s 1980s classic Word Up, into second place in BBC1’s Let’s Dance for Comic Relief.

Cotton, a former student at Woodhey High School, in Ramsbottom, was praised by judge Greg Davies who called the tap-dancing display ‘incredible’ and ‘amazing’.

Fellow judge Jo Brand said: “I thought it was brilliant and it made me desperate to be in an old people’s home.” Frank Skinner said: “It did make me feel like going out and learning to tap dance because the way it invigorated those senior citizens was really wonderful.

“I love tap dancing. It was really exciting, right up my 42nd Street, as they say.”

Cotton, 37, who has played factory worker Sean Tully in the ITV soap since 2003, took to Twitter to thank those who voted for him.

He wrote: “Wowzers! Thank you to everyone who voted for us all!”

Earlier, he had hinted at his nervousness ahead of the live performance, writing: “I feel like I’m about to be sick.”

Let’s Dance For Comic Relief began in 2009 when it was won by comedian Robert Webb.

Lee Nelson was first to exit this year’s final, followed by the Soap Stars – comprising Claire Sweeney, Ricky Groves, Natalie Cassidy and Dean Gaffney – while actress Katherine Ryan and funnyman Tim Vine were also voted off. In the final, more footage was shown from boyband One Direction’s visit to communities in Africa that have received help from Comic Relief. A video from hosts Alex Jones and Steve Jones’s visit to Malawi also featured. This year’s show raised more than £1million for Comic Relief.