Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has been flooded with messages of support after she appeared to take advice from the late Dolly Parton following criticism from former pro Brendan Cole. She returned to the dance floor over the weekend as part of a tribute to the country icon.
Return to the Dance Floor
Amy has been part of the BBC One show since 2017, and she returned for the 2026 series, marking her 10th year on the programme. During the launch show in September, she was paired with celebrity partner Chris Appleton, but they became the first couple to be eliminated earlier this month after Movie Week arrived in the ballroom.
This was the second consecutive year Amy was the first to be voted off, having landed in the bottom two with Thomas Skinner during the previous series.
Brendan Cole's Criticism and Fan Support
Former Strictly pro Brendan Cole reportedly said Amy "wasn't up to the challenge" of being a professional on the show. Fans quickly defended her, and she later appeared to respond with an Instagram video.
In a new TikTok video, Amy was filmed heading to the studio to record a performance with fellow pro Kai Widdrington. The clip was filmed on Saturday night (October 17) following the latest live show and was aired during the results show on Sunday (October 18).
Tribute to Dolly Parton
The two professional dancers took to the floor alongside singer Belles in a tribute to Dolly Parton, who died in August at the age of 80 from cancer. In her video, Amy used audio of the late country icon speaking, in which Parton said: "Don't you ever forget who you are and where you came from, and don't you ever let anybody tell you that you can't do this, or you can't do that. You can do whatever you think!"
Captioning the clip, Amy wrote: "An honour to perform a tribute to Dolly Parton #indollyswords #dollyparton #strictly," and the comments came flooding in. One fan said: "Smashed it!! You looked gorgeous!!!" Another gushed: "The most inspiring beautiful young woman, you and Kai both slayed that dance it was phenomenal." A third replied: "So proud of you! So gorgeous." Another fan added: "The perfect tribute to an absolute icon."
Amy's Response to Criticism
It comes after Amy was asked about Brendan's comments when speaking to the Mirror. She admitted: "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."
