BRAVE young dancer Carrieanne Staniforth proved she was as hard as nails at a Morris dancing competition.

The 11-year-old Radcliffe girl managed to pick up a hoard of trophies and medals - before she could pick out an inch-long nail that was stuck in her foot!

Carrieanne, of St John's Court, Radcliffe, was performing with Morris dancing troupe, the Radcliffe Morisco's, at a competition in Little Hulton.

Mum Lilian explained: "I was in the front row of the arena with the dance trainers when we noticed that Carrieanne was crying. Each time she put her foot down you could see the pain in her face. "At first we thought she'd twisted her ankle, and then we thought she was having an asthma attack."

They frantically tried to beckon Carrieanne off the stage, but despite her obvious pain, she refused to let her team down and continued to dance for another 12 minutes.

It wasn't until the set finally ended that the cause of her pain was revealed.

An inch long clout nail had gone through her pump and embedded itself in her big toe.

"We tried to get her pump off but it was stuck to her foot," said Lilian. "When it finally came off, the nail came out and blood began to gush from her foot.

"We were amazed she'd managed to carry on dancing. The pain must have been excruciating, because every time she put her foot down the nail went deeper into her toe. "But she thought that if she came off, the whole team would be disqualified."

After an hour's rest Carrieanne announced she was feeling better and to everyone's amazement she went in for the junior marching competition - and won!

"I'm very proud of her," said Lilian. "She puts everything she's got into her dancing and it certainly takes a lot to keep her down."

Morisco's secretary Mrs Laura Whittle added: "She was awarded a medal and a trophy for being so brave, but she should have got an Oscar for her performance."

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