Amy Dowden has hit back at former Strictly professional Brendan Cole after he said she's "not been up to the challenge" on the show. Brendan had claimed that current Strictly pro Amy "has not been up to the challenge".
He said: "To be a pro on Strictly is a big job and one has to be up to the challenge. Amy has not been up to the challenge, in my opinion," adding: "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."
His comments came after Amy became the first professional to be eliminated from the BBC ballroom for the second year running. Amy was partnered up with celeb hairstylist Chris Appleton.
Amy's response
She has now directly responded to Brendan, telling the Mirror: "I’ll be honest, what do you expect from him? It’s fine. I’ve never been brought up to be personal, and in this day and age especially I think it’s so important to be kind, and to think about the next generation."
"I always try to use my platform in the right way. I work with various charities. But also I want to be the right kind of role model. I run a dance academy and all my little boys and girls really look up to me. That’s important."
Amy also said she was "having the best time" with Chris and that they are "the best of friends". She recently clapped back at Brendan with a video on her socials, which saw her blow a kiss at the camera while miming the lyrics to Mariah Carey's track Obsessed. The line she mimed was: "Why are you so obsessed with me?" and she wrote in the caption: "If you know, you know."
Strictly history
Brendan was a Strictly professional from its launch in 2004 until 2017, when the BBC decided not to renew his contract. Amy joined the BBC One show as a professional in 2017. She was forced to withdraw from the 2023 series following her breast cancer diagnosis earlier that year.
She returned to the show as a pro in 2024 and was partnered with JLS star JB Gill. Unfortunately, Amy had to drop out of that series too after injuring her ankle.
