Former Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole has opened up about his financial fears, eight years after he was dropped from the BBC show. Speaking on his new Manopause podcast, the dancer confided in his co-host, James Jordan, about his concerns for the future.
"We all experience a sort of career change. I'm in such a different place. And I don't know what the next chapter is. I'm actually brutally honest. I'm scared," Brendan, who appeared on Strictly from 2004 to 2017, admitted.
Financial worries and career uncertainty
Brendan, who shares two children with his wife Zoe, expressed doubts about his ability to maintain his current lifestyle. "I have no idea if, in five years, I'm going to be able to pay my school fees. I don't know if I'm going to be able to afford the place that I'm living in. Will I still have the same level of success that I've had so far to date? Obviously, it was high at the back end of Strictly," he said.
Reflecting on his Strictly exit
The dancer has previously spoken about his shock departure from the show. Earlier this month, he insisted he was axed after calling judge Shirley Ballas the C-word on three occasions. "I don't condone the C-word. And at the time, I apologised for using it, but I wasn't going to backtrack on it and say, 'Well, it wasn't true', because I thought it was true. Listen, I love Shirley," Brendan said in a new interview.
"I think she's a great judge. At the time, I didn't think she was particularly nice to us, and I vocalised that. Some would argue to cost me the gig."
Brendan added that after one of the BBC bosses, who had promised to keep him on Strictly, left the company for a new role at Channel 4, he knew he wouldn't be staying on the show for much longer.
Reaction to the news in 2018
The news of Brendan's Strictly exit broke in January 2018. Appearing on ITV's Lorraine, the father-of-two said, "I'm a little bit in shock at the moment. I'm quite emotional and a bit raw about it."
Asked why the BBC had not renewed his contract, Brendan told Lorraine Kelly, "It's an editorial decision. I'm sure I'll never know the ins and outs. I'm a very strong character within the show. I have my strong views."
Brendan noted that he would have liked to stay on the show, as he was still passionate about it, and remarked that it would be "odd" to leave Strictly after his 15-year run. "It's kind of weird to imagine yourself not having that as your… I do a lot of other things, of course, but the main thing I've been known for is being a dancer on Strictly. Very odd to even say this out loud. It feels quite raw," he mused.
