Brendan Cole, a former Strictly Come Dancing professional, is reportedly "gutted" after receiving backlash for comments he made about Amy Dowden. Cole, who appeared on the show from 2004 to 2017, recently claimed that Amy had not "been up to the challenge" of training another celebrity.
Backlash Over Strictly Comments
Amy, who was partnered with Thomas Skinner on Strictly last year and was the first celebrity pairing to be eliminated, was also voted out first this year with celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton. The Welsh dancer has been a firm favourite with fans since joining Strictly in 2017.
Amy missed out on Strictly while undergoing cancer treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, and documented her journey before being told she had "no evidence of disease" in February 2024. Upon returning to Strictly the following year, she was partnered with JLS singer JB Gill but was forced to quit due to a leg injury, replaced by Lauren Oakley.
After these recent setbacks, Brendan claimed: "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." He added: "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."
Amy's Response and Fan Support
Brendan faced immense backlash from fans, with Amy praised for what appeared to be her clapping back when she blew a kiss at the camera to Mariah Carey's Obsessed, adding: "Why are you so obsessed with me?" Her caption read: "If you know, you know," while she also included the hashtags "be kind" and "in a world where you can be anything, be kind".
Following fans rushing to her support, former pro James Jordan has now claimed Brendan is "gutted" and the criticism was "blown all out of proportion". He told Mail Online: "It wasn't what people think; he never meant it in that way, and he's actually quite upset about the whole thing. It's all been taken out of proportion, and yeah, it's a shame, because he was asked a question about them leaving and just said that he didn't think the choreography was that good.
"And then people were saying, 'Oh, she's a cancer survivor,' and it's horrendous what she's been through, and she does amazing things for Crohn's and cancer and this and that. But hang on a minute... He was just asked about her dancing. He wasn't asked about any of that. So this makes him look really, really bad when he didn't mean it in the way that it's now been all blown out of proportion, which is a shame, really."
Reaction to Amy's Post
James added that "in hindsight", Brendan could have messaged Amy to say his comments hadn't come "from a bad place", adding that he was "gutted" about it all. After Amy's post, she was hailed as "iconic" by fellow pro Carlos Gu, while dance partner Chris Appleton wrote: "Love u."
"Beautiful inside and out," one fan wrote, as Jess Wright commented: "Absolutely girl. You are AMAZING in every way." "Get it girl," while Strictly star Bethany Antonia added: "You're incredible. This is iconic and we all [heart emoji] you."
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
