The 49-year-old postman could not get his head round his marriage breakdown and divorce, and was so depressed, his family were worried about him.

But John literally picked himself off the floor by joining a dance group. Now, four years down the line, his dancing skills have made him a hit with women throughout Calderdale and Kirklees and his social life is so hectic, he is never at home.

John is addicted to Ceroc, the largest and fastest growing dance organisation in the UK. The style is a fusion of other popular dance forms, such as ballroom, salsa, latin jive, swing, hip hop and tango and can be danced, with a partner, to any style of music. Around 55,000 people in the UK learn to dance with Ceroc every month.

John has been told by numerous experts that he is one of the best dancers in the country and where ever he goes, women are queuing up to dance with him.

"I've got dancing to thank for saving me. I absolutely love it and it's opened up a whole new social side to me. I've made so many friends through dancing," says John, who was born in Yorkshire to an Italian mum and Ukrainian dad and is chairman of the Ukrainian Club in Huddersfield, where he first got into dance.

"When my wife moved back to Manchester with our daughter, I was at a real loose end and very down. There was a dance group at the Ukrainian club and after three months of looking through the door, I got coaxed into giving it a try. After a few classes I went along to a dance weekend and that was it, I was hooked."

He now dances at least three times a week at Huddersfield, the Ritz in Brighouse and Shelf Village Hall and is known as the dancing postie on his Rishworth round.

"My regulars call me that because they know I go dancing, and to break the monotony of walking the same streets, week in and week out, I occasionally dance for them on my round."

John practises his moves at every opportunity and says he is outrageous and gets away with murder when he is on the dance floor.

"I come to life when I am dancing. It's a way of expressing myself. I get compliments all the time on my style, although a couple of other men have said I'm a bit of a show off."

He claims that women are keen to partner him because they like someone adventurous who can throw them round the dance floor.

"The man leads in Ceroc, so the better the male is, the better the woman will be. I'm also very gentle with my partners and make them laugh, which seems to go down well," says John.

Individuals change partners during a Ceroc class, so John dances with both beginners and experts, and at some classes is a taxi dancer, which means he helps put beginners through their steps.

"To be a good dancer you need to learn the basic steps first before you can put your own individual style on it."

According to his brother, Ceroc has given John a new lease of life.