Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole has criticised Amy Dowden's teaching abilities, saying she has "not been up to the challenge" in recent years.
On Sunday, October 4, Dowden became the first pro to leave the competition this year after she and her partner Chris Appleton lost the dance-off against Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu.
Cole's verdict on Dowden's performance
Speaking to Sky Vegas, Cole, who was on the show from 2004 until 2018, 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.
"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."
Cole claimed that he can see Dowden "counting in" her partners, a sign to him that the "job has not been done".
"I don't think people are enjoying it," he said.
Dowden's early exits and health battle
Dowden, who joined the show in 2017, also left the competition first in 2025 with partner Thomas Skinner, following a dance-off against Chris Robshaw.
She said she was "gutted" to be gone so soon, adding: "I honestly think there was so much more to come."
Dowden shut down claims that she had been paired with Skinner in order to "protect her health", following her public breast cancer battle. She was unable to compete in 2023, and in 2024 had been forced to leave her partner JB Gill after breaking her foot.
She told The Telegraph: "You know, he said when he came in that he wasn't a dancer, but he worked really hard. Obviously, I was gutted, selfishly, because I'd wanted to prove that after a cancer diagnosis you can come back and do well."
Cole's broader criticism of this year's lineup
Cole has also been outspokenly critical of this year's Strictly Come Dancing lineup, calling the stars this year "unrecognisable".
"I certainly didn't know them. I'm not a massive television watcher," he said on Good Morning Britain last month, though he admittedly described himself as a "bitter old pro".
