Amy Dowden responds to Brendan Cole's brutal critiques as she stresses importance of 'being kind'

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Bishop, H. (2026, October 19). Amy Dowden responds to Brendan Cole's brutal critiques as she stresses importance of 'being kind'. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/strictly-come-dancing-amy-dowden-brendan-cole-b1301418.html

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Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-19 · by Holly Bishop

Quick Summary

Amy Dowden responded to Brendan Cole’s critiques of her performance in the dance competition by emphasizing the importance of kindness and being a positive role model. In an interview with The Mirror, she noted that despite facing criticism from Cole over the years, including this latest round of comments on her counting techniques, she remains focused on using her platform for good causes and inspiring young dancers at her academy. Dowden also made a humorous Instagram post referencing Cole’s critiques while encouraging kindness online. Fans overwhelmingly supported Dowden, criticizing Cole for his negative comments.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-19, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Amy Dowden, a 36-year-old Welsh dancer, responded to harsh critiques from fellow dancer Brendan Cole on October 19, 2026. In an interview with The Mirror, Dowden defended herself by emphasizing the importance of kindness in public discourse and using her platform positively for charities and as a role model. Earlier this month, she left the dance competition after losing a dance-off against Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, becoming the first professional to exit. Cole had previously criticized Dowden's performance, suggesting that she has not been up to the challenge in recent years. Dowden playfully pushed back on Instagram with a video lip-syncing to Mariah Carey’s "Obsessed," captioned "#bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind."

Written for “Amy Dowden Responds To Brendan Cole Critiques” on 2026-10-19, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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📰 Amy Dowden Responds To Brendan Cole Critiques
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Who wrote this

Holly Bishop
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Topics

Instagram The Mirror Welsh

Subjects

Dowden PERSON · 4× Amy PERSON · 3× Cole PERSON · 3× Carlos Gu PERSON · 1× Chris Appleton PERSON · 1× Instagram ORG · 1× Jaime Winstone PERSON · 1× Mariah Carey’s PERSON · 1× The Mirror ORG · 1× Welsh NORP · 1×

Narrative

Earlier this month, the Welsh dancer became the first pro to leave the competition after she and her partner Chris Appleton lost the dance-off against Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 All three say more about them than they ever will about you.
2026-10-19 · Evening Standard
Amy Dowden responds to Brendan Cole's brutal critiques as she stresses importance of 'being kind' · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 1 hedged)

Earlier this month, the Welsh dancer became the first pro to leave the competition after she and her partner Chris Appleton lost the dance-off against Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu. asserted
she → become → Winstone
In a new interview with The Mirror, the 36-year-old addressed the critiques, stating: “I’ll be honest, what do you expect from him?” asserted
you → address → him
“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.” asserted
I → ’ → generation
She said that tries to use her large platform in various ways, from helping charities to being a role model for the students at her dance academy. asserted
that → say → academy
Dowden also appeared to make a playful dig at Cole in an Instagram story, where she danced and lip-synced to Mariah Carey’s Obsessed. asserted
she → appear → Obsessed
She captioned the video: “If you know, you know #bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind.” asserted
you → caption → inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind
“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. asserted
she → think → years
One can do the maths on that.” asserted
One → do → that
Cole claimed that he can see Dowden “counting in” her partners, a sign to him that the “job has not been done”. asserted
job → claim → him
“I don’t think people are enjoying it,” he said. asserted
he → think → it
Last year, Dowden, who joined the show in 2017, and partner Thomas Skinner were voted off first following a dance-off against Chris Robshaw. asserted
who → join → Robshaw
The year prior to that, in 2024, she had been forced to leave her partner JB Gill after breaking her foot. asserted
she → force → foot
Read More And in 2023, she was unable to compete after being diagnosed with grade-three breast cancer. asserted
she → read → cancer
Fans heaped praise on Dowden for her handling of Cole’s comments. asserted
Fans → heap → comments
“Negative words mean 1 of 3 things, jealousy, bitterness, or a lack of understanding. asserted
words → mean → understanding
All three say more about them than they ever will about you. asserted
they → say → you
Keep being you,” said one. asserted
one → keep → ?
“YESSSSS QUEEN YOU TELL HIM,” said a second, whilst a third added: “That so called ex-pro could never, for someone who hates Strictly all he does is talk about it, he's just jealous, keep on slaying life Amy.” uncertain
he → tell → life
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