A MOTHER and autism campaigner has told of the “absolutely bonkers” reaction she has received from the public since appearing on BBC1’s Red Nose Day version of Strictly Come Dancing.

Anna Kennedy, OBE, once a Middlesbrough tap-dancer, is a high profile autism campaigner after fighting for her two son's education rights and going on to form a national charity.

On BBC's People's Strictly on Friday night, she narrowly missed out on winning the title despite at one point scored a perfect 40 from the show's judges

But now she has told The Northern Echo she has an “amazing, absolutely bonkers” positive reaction from the public with one Tweet reaching more than five million people.

She said: “I’ve had the best time, it’s been amazing. The amount of messages I’ve got is astounding.”

Mrs Kennedy is still training for a forthcoming dance tour and hopes she and her dance partner Robin Windsor will have the chance to perform in the North-East.

She added that dancing is a very beneficial activity for autistic people because it encourages flexibility and interactive skills.

On Friday night’s Comic Relief TV Show, Mrs Kennedy missed out on the ultimate victory to former Royal Marine Cassidy Little, who lost his right leg below the knee in Afghanistan in 2011 but was determined to dance.

Mrs Kennedy lives in London but still travels home in her role as patron of The Daisy Chain, a charity in Norton, near Stockton, which helps families dealing with autism across Teesside.