Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden appeared to send a coded message to former pro Brendan Cole just hours before Saturday's live show, which returned without her. The Welsh dancer, diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, faced criticism this week after being voted out of the 2026 series with celebrity partner Chris Appleton.
Coded Instagram Response
An hour before the live episode, Amy shared a clip on Instagram wearing a sparkly gold sequin dress, blowing a kiss and waving wordlessly. The caption read "If you know, you know" alongside the hashtags #bekind and #inaworldwhereyoucanbeanythingbekind, widely seen as a response to the criticism following her exit.
Her partner Chris Appleton replied with "Love u" and a red heart emoji. Fans quickly supported Amy, with comments including "Sometimes people can be so bitter! You are a star shining brightly gorgeous!" and "Keep shining - perfect response." Another fan directly tagged Brendan Cole, writing "You look so amazing Amy! I bet you wished you looked amaing too but you don't."
Brendan Cole's Criticism
Brendan Cole, a Strictly pro from 2004 to 2018, had told the Mail that Amy was "not doing a good job," having been the first pro voted off for two years running. Speaking to Sky Vegas, he said: "To be a pro on Strictly is a big job and one has to be up to the challenge. I don't think Amy's been doing a very good job for the last few years and she's been out first for the last few years. One can do the maths on that."
Fans on X also criticised BBC bosses for "failing" Amy by pairing her with weaker dancers, including former Apprentice star Thomas Skinner in 2025.
Elimination and Reactions
During last Sunday's dance-off, judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all chose to save Winstone and Gu, who won last season with former footballer Karen Carney. Craig Revel Horwood, who held the deciding vote, said he would have saved the same couple if needed.
After elimination, Chris said: "I think it's been such a whirlwind of emotion. I'm 43 and I got good at doing what I did – which is hair. To come and do something like this, I felt so out of my comfort zone and saw myself in a way I never saw myself, and it challenged me in ways I never knew I could be challenged. The most important thing I think I will take from this show is having a friend in Amy because I genuinely love her and I am so grateful I met someone who has so much heart and passion. I only wish I could have done better for her because she deserves to go further in the competition, but we did put everything into it."
Amy added: "Although it was only two weeks, watching Chris grow in confidence, that is what I will take away. Obviously I am heartbroken and this seems to be my luck the last few years, but my heart is only breaking because I don't get to dance with him on Monday… but I do get a friend for life." Amy was also eliminated first last season after being paired with Thomas Skinner. Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One.
