DOM Littlewood is known for his gift of the gab - but he may have come up against the one situation he can't talk himself out of.

Dom, from Leigh, may well have taken on his biggest challenge to date by becoming a contestant on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing, where his feet must do the talking instead.

He joked: "The only time I ever put one foot in front of the other is when I'm walking to the pub.

"But they came to me and asked me to do it. And you know me, I love a challenge."

Since being plucked from obscurity to star on Channel 4's Faking It six years ago, Dom, 42, has become a TV regular, appearing in numerous programmes that see him helping consumers to save money and cut financial corners.

His reputation has garnered him the nickname the Monetary Maestro, but will his cheeky charm help him to win the judges' approval on the tough 14-week show?

"I've got no chance, have I?!" Dom laughed. "But I'm actually really looking forward to it."

Partnered with professional dancer Lilia Kopylova, he'll be up against, among others, model and presenter Kelly Brook, Elisha from girl band Mis-teeq, and Penny Lancaster-Stewart, wife of Rod Stewart.

Unlike some of the other stars who have thrown themselves into rehearsing full time, Dom has been squeezing practice sessions around his very busy schedule.

He said: "I'm filming all day for the One Show and then I'll go to a lesson in the evenings. I'm absolutely knackered!"

He was also recently recruited for a forthcoming programme called Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Dom explained: "They asked a bunch of celebrities to go out and make money for charity. I had four weeks to do it."

As part of his mission, Dom bought some cheap art and sold it to cafes.

"To top it off, I bought a cheap car and sold it through some mates on London Road, in Leigh," he said.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is will be aired on BBC1 next year, but Dom has already handed his £1,210 profit over to the Elizabeth Loury Ward at Southend Hospital.

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing begins on BBC1 on Saturday, October 6.