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Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin has opened up on the "harsh" comments that he and his co-stars receive from tough judge Craig Revel Horwood. The judge has been on the BBC dance show since its inception in 2004 and has a reputation for being the harshest of the judges and is often the recipient of jeering and booing from the studio audience.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Nikita shared: "The judging panel's job is to give us positive criticism and of course it is all dramatised and very panto. Especially from Craig [Revel Horwood]. Sometimes I have probably not enjoyed Craig's nines and I would have loved them to be a 10 but I think he does it more to motivate us. Like, if Craig gives us a nine we are then craving for that 10. Then, I'm going to work extra hard for it and I am going to create the best choreography that I can create in order to get it from him."

The dancer continued: "But it all depends on how you take it. Of course you can take Craig's comments personally because we do work really, really hard. Sometimes the criticism is quite hard to take but I do think that the judges are always really looking to help us.

"It is then our job to take those comments and use them in the right way. We need to see it in the right mindset. It can be quite harsh but it all depends on how you take it."

Following his show-stopping partnerships on Strictly Come Dancing, Nikita will take centre stage in the high-octane new dance spectacular Burn the Floor: Supernova touring the UK next month.

Created by world-renowned choreographer and BAFTA award-recipient Jason Gilkison, this show promises to be its most daring and dynamic with an electrifying fusion of movement and music.

Audiences will be swept away with a fusion of ballroom, Latin and contemporary styles, brought to life with Nikita's signature charm, power and charisma.

Speaking about the show, Nikita told Express.co.uk that audiences should "expect the unexpected" as he hinted that he gives fans a look at a side of him that they have never seen before. The show's website has all of the upcoming dates, venues and ticket prices.