Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has hit back after ex-pro Brendan Cole’s recent jibes about her.
Earlier this month, Amy and her celebrity partner Chris Appleton became the first couple to be eliminated from the current series of Strictly, which marked the second year in a row that the Welsh dancer had found herself in this position.
During a subsequent interview, Brendan – who appeared as a Strictly pro between 2004 and 2017 – criticised Amy’s performance, claiming: “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.”
BBC/Ray Burmiston/BBC Creative
Strictly fans will know that in 2023, Amy took a year away from the ballroom while undergoing treatment for cancer. While she returned the following series, she was forced to exit early, due to a foot injury.
In a new interview with The Mirror, Amy responded to Brendan’s comments in the classiest way possible, stating: “I’ll be honest, what do you expect from him?”
She responded: “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.”
“I always try to use my platform in the right way – I work with various charities,” Amy pointed out, adding that she would rather be “the right kind of role model”.
Meanwhile, appearing at the Pride Of Britain awards on Monday, Amy told the Daily Mail that she had found Brendan’s comments “upsetting”.
“Rather than him worry about what the headlines were saying about himself it would’ve been nice for him to call,” she said on the red carpet. “He’s got my number.”
Asked if she felt a male dancer would face the same criticism, Amy shot down the question, admitting: “I don’t know, I just don’t want to give him the attention he so desperately craves.”
Prior to this, Amy alluded to Brendan’s comments in an Instagram post, which saw her dancing and lip syncing to the iconic Mariah Carey song Obsessed.
“If you know, you know,” read the caption, which also included the hashtag “in a world [where] you can be anything be kind”, in an apparent nod to her former co-star.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday night at 6.30pm on BBC One.
