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Every Tuesday morning, just before 11.30, an email drops into my inbox offering me the opportunity to ask Brendan Cole, the former Strictly professional dancer, what he makes of the current series.
asserted
he → publish → series
It’s always tempting.
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It → ’ → ?
Brendan, after all, has a reputation for a colourful and rather acerbic tongue.
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Brendan → have → tongue
The New Zealander’s infamously brutal approach to critiquing his celebrity partners during his 14-year reign on the BBC’s flagship Saturday night show was evidence enough of that.
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approach → critique → that
But in exchange for his juicy take on the programme and the crop of stars competing for this year’s glitterball trophy, there is a catch – the requirement to include a plug in any published interview for betting firm Sky Vegas, which is presumably paying the 50-year-old a handsome sum in exchange for publicity.
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which → compete → publicity
And his comments, which have been published by other newspapers, have sometimes been a little thoughtless, at best.
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which → publish → newspapers
Earlier this month, Cole upset his former colleague, Strictly’s Amy Dowden, who lives with Crohn’s disease and has battled Stage 3 breast cancer after being diagnosed in 2023.
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who → upset → 2023
Strictly’s Amy Dowden, who lives with Crohn’s disease and has battled Stage 3 breast cancer after being diagnosed in 2023
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who → live → 2023
Rather than express his sympathy for Amy’s trying circumstances, Brendan instead declared that she ‘hasn’t been up to the challenge’ of training a contestant
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she → express → contestant
Rather than express his sympathy for Amy’s trying circumstances – and after she and her dance partner, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, were first to be booted from the show – he instead declared that she ‘hasn’t been up to the challenge’ of training a contestant.
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she → express → contestant
‘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.
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he → think → years
‘One can do the maths on that.
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One → do → that
To be a pro on Strictly is a big job, and one has to be up to the challenge.’
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one → have → challenge
Those who know Amy, 36, were furious with the jibe.
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who → know → jibe
As one told me: ‘It’s absolutely sick that Brendan is saying Amy wasn’t up to doing her job properly at a time she had cancer.
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she → tell → cancer
It hasn’t gone unnoticed by the other Strictly professionals that Brendan is cashing in by trashing the very programme that made him famous back in 2004, when he won the inaugural series with newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky.
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he → go → Kaplinsky
He was axed in 2018, when his contract was not renewed amid claims that he was ‘difficult to work with’.
But he’s far from being the only former Strictly pro to jump on the ‘trash for cash’ bandwagon – nor is he the only one being paid for his running commentary on the show by betting firms.
uncertain
he → ax → firms
Amy and her dance partner, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, were first to be booted from the show
Former Strictly dancer Vincent SImone said Emma Willis should be given more screen time while Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe should merely ‘support her’.
James Jordan, 48, who finished his seven-year stint well over a decade ago in 2013 – and is described by those working on the show as a ‘has been’ – has signed a deal with online gambling comparison site WhichBingo to write a weekly Strictly column.
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who → boot → column
He is also well-known for being outspoken and has claimed in the column that the show needs a major shake-up, including to the line-up of judges.
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show → know → judges
Last week, Jordan also infuriated those closest to Amy when he came out to defend Cole, revealing his friend was ‘really upset when all the press came out about it’.
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press → infuriate → it
Writing on WhichBingo, Jordan said: ‘We’re on the bus together, and when I see stuff [in the press], I laugh because he’s a good mate and I’ll send it to him and say: “Oh look, they’re bashing you again.”
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they → write → you
And he’s like: “I don’t understand it.”
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I → ’ → it
Amy took the opportunity to hit back at Cole on the red carpet at the Pride Of Britain awards this week, telling reporters: ‘Rather than him worry about what the headlines were saying about himself it would’ve been nice for him to call.
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him → take → himself
He’s got my number.’
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He → get → number
Grumbling about Cole and Jordan, one source close to this year’s show said: ‘They got sacked and now they’re bitter.
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they → grumble → show
It’s a disgrace.
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It → ’ → ?
‘Brendan and James are literally being paid by gambling firms to slate one of the show’s dancers.
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Brendan → pay → dancers
It’s very, very mean.
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It → ’ → ?
Brendan has signed up to promote Sky Vegas.
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Brendan → sign → Vegas
Every time he talks about Strictly they get publicity and Brendan fulfils his big money deal.
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Brendan → talk → deal
‘Strictly is under siege by Brendan and James, who appear to want to see the show off now they are no longer on it.
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they → appear → it
As my source acknowledges, it is ‘probably a bit of both’.
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it → acknowledge → both
, this week he accused Strictly bosses of ‘controlling’ the pro dancers by leaving them ‘uncertain’ about whether they will get a celebrity partner or not.
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they → accuse → partner
He also criticised the performance of pro dancer Nancy Xu, and blamed show veteran Aljaz Skorjanec for the exit of Gavin & Stacey actress Melanie Walters after he brought in an external choreographer to help with their Charleston.
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he → criticise → Charleston
Cole suggested that Aljaz should have been capable of the choreography himself.
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Aljaz → suggest → choreography
As a new host on the show, Josh Widdicombe has also found himself on the receiving end of Cole’s waspish observations:
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himself → find → observations
‘Josh, who’s a very good comedian, is struggling to be funny on Strictly,’ he said.
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he → ’ → Strictly
‘I think they’re trying too hard to make it funny and it’s not working.
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it → think → ?
It’s not gelling.’
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It → gel → ?
Just three days ago he slammed the judges as ‘predictable’ and ‘scripted’ and compared them to appearing in a pantomime.
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he → slam → pantomime
…and 49 more, not listed.
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