Brendan Cole has revealed that his exit from Strictly Come Dancing came after he used the C-word to describe head judge Shirley Ballas three times and could not assure bosses he would not do it again. James Jordan has also said his own outspoken opinions ended his time on the show.
Brendan Cole's Exit
Brendan, who was on the show from 2004 to 2017, said he apologised for using the word but would not backtrack on the sentiment. He explained: "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. 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 it cost me the gig."
Brendan said he knew his time was up when a boss who had promised him a job as long as she worked there left for Channel 4, and he was off the show shortly after.
James Jordan's Departure
James, who appeared on Strictly alongside his wife Ola from 2006 to 2013, said his frank opinions, including calling a professional dance routine "s***" and "an insult", were why he was asked to leave. Speaking on Wynne Evans' Manopause podcast, he said: "I was always very outspoken when I was on Strictly. I was always sticking up for the professional dancers. I eventually got asked to leave the show because I was maybe too outspoken and I was pointing things out that they didn’t want to be pointed out. But I want the best for the show."
James insisted he and other dancers were grateful for the "platform" Strictly gave them, but claimed "certain things that happened to us that were maybe not fair" occurred during his time there.
Their Strictly Careers
James and Brendan are preparing for their Dance Rebels: Strictly Unleashed tour, starting in April 2027. Brendan won the first series in 2004 with Natasha Kaplinsky and later danced with Kelly Brook, Lisa Snowdon and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. James competed with Vanessa Feltz and Alex Jones, reaching the final with Denise Van Outen and Pamela Stephenson.
The Mirror has contacted representatives of Shirley Ballas for comment. A spokesperson for the BBC declined to comment.
