Brendan Cole is said to be "quite upset" by the backlash to his recent comments about Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden, according to his friend and former co-star James Jordan.
Co-star Defends Brendan
Speaking to Mail Online via WhichBingo, James said: "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."
He added: "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."
Ian Waite on Brendan's Role
Another former Strictly professional, Ian Waite, who is currently touring alongside Brendan, James Jordan, Vincent Simone and Pasha Kovalev, described Brendan as "the head" of their group. He also spoke of the New Zealand dancer's "extreme" comments, though he did not specifically mention his remarks about Amy.
"Brendan is the head of the group, definitely," Ian shared, jokingly adding: "But I am the oldest, so, you know, I'll leave everything until the last moment, and then I'll be like, 'No, no, no, no, no. It's going to be this way, boys. All right? I'm the oldest, I decide'."
Amy Dowden Responds
Amy herself hit back at Brendan's remarks in an interview with The Mirror. "I'll be honest, what did you expect from him?" she said. "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." She continued: "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."
Brendan's comments came after Amy and her celebrity partner, Chris Appleton, became the first dancing duo to be eliminated from Strictly this series. Amy was forced to withdraw from the show in 2023 while undergoing cancer treatment and continued to face health challenges during the following series.
