How Strictly 'bad boy' Brendan Cole earned his 'bitter old pro' label after a series of spats - as axed dancer is left 'gutted' by backlash to his critique of Amy Dowden

From his debut as Strictly's first-ever champion in 2004, Brendan Cole earned a reputation as the show's 'bad boy'.His fiery temperament, outspoken clashes with judges, and fierce competitiveness made him a hit with BBC viewers. But in 2018, after 14 years, amid allegations of being difficult to work with and tensions with head judge Shirley Ballas, the dancer was axed from the show.Fast forward eight years, and the 50-year-old pro is still leaning into his outspoken reputation with his continuous criticism of the show.Most recently, he claimed Amy Dowden – who recently returned to the show following her cancer treatment – 'has not been up to the challenge' as she became the first pro dumped from the new series.However, Brendan is now said to be 'gutted' over the backlash from his comment as his pal James Jordan claimed it was 'blown all out of proportion.'But with a long history of spats, has Brendan cemented his status as Strictly's 'bitter old pro'? From his debut as Strictly's first-ever champion in 2004, Brendan Cole earned a reputation as the show's 'bad boy' His fiery temperament, outspoken clashes with judges, and fierce competitiveness made him a hit with BBC viewers (pictured with Anastacia in 2016) Most recently, he claimed Amy Dowden – who recently returned to the show following her cancer treatment – 'has not been up to the challenge' as she became the first pro dumped from the new seriesWhile some pros form lifelong bonds with their partners, Brendan had notoriously frosty, high-pressure relationships with several of his.He even acknowledged that he clashed with certain celebrities over the years, stating: 'I've had a few rough ones; I didn't particularly like them, they didn't like me, but you push through.'The pro openly labelled TV presenter Fiona Phillips as one of his worst pairings and said her dancing was 'pathetic' and 'not good enough'.Fiona later slammed the professional dancer as a 'rough old taskmaster'.Following the news of him being axed from the show, she claimed it was his 'karma'.'Brendan was a real bugger, actually,' she told the Daily Star.'He wasn't very nice. He was really naughty. He's not on the show now. Karma indeed. It works its way every time.'Then came his pairing with Claire King, with the actress describing Brendan as 'intolerant' and 'impatient'.She claimed he frequently made her feel worthless and shattered her confidence.The couple finished in sixth place, and following her stint, she told The Mirror's Sunday People magazine: 'He had no faith in me and certainly never did anything to boost my confidence. He's had a very negative attitude.'Brendan grinds down my confidence and I don't feel like he's given me a lot of support. He has said some really nasty things about me in the press like saying I stink of smoke.' While some pros form lifelong bonds with their partners, Brendan had notoriously frosty, high-pressure relationships with several of his (pictured with Fiona Phillips) He even acknowledged that he clashed with certain celebrities over the years, stating: 'I've had a few rough ones; I didn't particularly like them, they didn't like me, but you push through' (pictured with Claire King) Brendan's next clash came from his pairing with Lulu, where the dancer said he was 'absolutely delighted' to be eliminated after six weeks of dancing togetherBrendan's next clash came from his pairing with Lulu, where the dancer said he was 'absolutely delighted' to be eliminated after six weeks of dancing together.In an interview on Loose Women, Brendan described the Shout singer as 'not a particularly nice person'.He went on to add: 'But she felt the same about me, so it's alright.'It seemed he was right, as Lulu later admitted: 'I worked with someone [on Strictly] with whom I wasn't really compatible, so that was very hard.'His final blazing row was with judge Shirley, one he believes caused his axeing from the show. The pair had some fiery confrontations throughout the series, and things turned sour when the internationally renowned Latin dancer criticised one of Brendan's performances with celeb partner, Charlotte Hawkins.He called her 'my dear' and reportedly refused to speak to her backstage from then on, with Bruno Tonioli branding him 'disrespectful'.The following year, Brendan was told he would not be returning to the hit BBC show.A show insider told The Sun: 'Brendan is clearly very bitter about missing out on the role and hasn't held back on taking out his anger on Shirley.'He goes out of his way to ignore her backstage during show breaks and makes her feel very uncomfortable.'Brendan notoriously falls out with fellow dancers, but this row is on a whole other level. Everyone thinks it's very childish.'The dancer later revealed that he felt the BBC only showed 'one side' of him, and told the Daily Mail during his Dancing on Ice stint: 'Strictly only wanted to show one side to me.'And they really pushed that side of me. There was very much a narrative that the show went with for 15 series.'And it was tiring because it was actually not me.' His final blazing row was with judge Shirley, one he believes caused his axeing from the showBut that was not the end of Brendan's spats.In 2019, he called Dancing On Ice judge Jason Gardiner 'vicious and nasty' during his appearance on Loose Women.He waded into the discussion about the Dancing On Ice judge's catty clash with Gemma Collins, comparing the feud to BBC soap EastEnders.During the show, Jason's scathing remarks – which also came after he went to the media to badmouth the TOWIE star earlier in the week – were met with a wave of criticism, with viewers calling for him to be fired over it.Giving his take on the row, Brendan told the panel: 'Jason is vicious...I don’t agree with viciousness.'I don’t know ins or outs of the feud, sounds like she has a real problem with what he has done, whether he has or not. She didn’t come across well in my opinion, if she feels it she should say it, but it’s how she says it.'The nastiness, you don’t speak to someone like that in real life, it’s like EastEnders, everyone screams at each other then fine the next day. We are still human beings, it should be constructive criticism.'A normal basis, we don’t talk to colleagues, friends or family like that, in politics and talent shows you see a real disrespect. Craig does it with a little bit of light-heartedness, he is my favourite judge.'He never has a nasty tone, always light-hearted, we make TV, it’s important you have that.'There were more than 80 Ofcom comments about Jason's critique of Gemma's routine to Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend.Later that year, Brennan accused Strictly of copying ideas from his stage show after watching an episode of the show.He suggested that the programme had 'ripped off' his ideas after Anton du Beke and Emma Barton danced to a song from his show.Brendan poked fun at Strictly on social media following the duo's waltz to Send in the Clowns.Hours after the show, Brendan posted a clip of a routine to the same song from his show, Show Man, and penned alongside the video: 'I'm thinking my ideas are being lifted? Strictly.' The post included a link to a website where his followers could watch his version of the dance. More recently, Brendan gave his opinion on Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, who have taken over from Tess Daly and Claudia WinklemanMore recently, Brendan gave his take on why Strictly has fewer viewers than last year as he appeared on The Jeremy Vine Show.The dancer weighed in on why he thought viewing figures had slumped, after it was reported Sunday's results show drew in 4.5million viewers, compared to 6.2million last year.The first live show, meanwhile, saw 4.8 million tune in – down substantially on last year's 6.2 million.Brendan said he believes a lack of household names, the new presenting trio and the lengthy airing time has made him and other viewers struggle with this series.He said: 'It's a massive show. The show is too long 2 hours and 45 minutes on a Saturday night. People haven't got that much time to sit around watching television.'If you take Traitors, you can put the face to the name, pretty much. Whereas Strictly, I think I knew three of them by name and face, the rest of them I don't know.'There's no investment, you've got all the new pros. The viewers don't know them so it's going to take some time. You've also got the new hosts. Now, there has been a massive backlash on the hosts on the show because it's not what people are used to and the signs are interesting. I'm not enjoying it so far.'Brendan also gave his opinion on Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, who have taken over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.He said: 'I think Emma is great. I think Josh is trying to be great, I don't think he's a bad host but does he fit Strictly? I'm not sure.'Johannes obviously fits Strictly but I don't want to hear "my darling, my darling, my darling" every time somebody comes up the stairs. I think the BBC are probably looking now and thinking "Eek, have we made the right decision?"'People will call me a bitter old pro, I probably am. I just have an opinion on the show and am heavily invested in it'Brendan also commented on the Strictly professional dancer bloodbath which saw Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez, all given the boot.They were replaced by five new professional dancers; Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita.He said: 'I don't disagree with them moving on, you've got to change the show, make it better to move it on.'I think Karen probably had enough herself, she didn't look particularly motivated in the last few years and maybe they made a decision to "right, we've got to change it up".'But I think making those changes and the contestant changes, host changes, it's a massive change and I don't think people are loving it. People are watching TV differently these days, I struggled to get through the main show. It's a big watch.'Elsewhere, Brendan said pro dancer Amy 'hasn't been doing a very good job' as a dancer on the show, after her battle with breast cancer.Amy was the first pro to be eliminated from the BBC show for the second year in a row, after she and hairdresser Chris Appleton ended up in the dance-off during Sunday's show.Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, and was forced to miss the show later that year, before returning in 2024.He said: '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.'Brendan told Sky Vegas: 'She's standing out there counting him in. She's counting every step for him. It's very obvious that the job has not been done, and I don't think people are enjoying it.'Amy was then praised for her 'iconic' response to Brendan's criticism of her Strictly skills.Taking to Instagram, she responded with a video posted moments before the live show began. Amy Dowden was been praised for her 'iconic' response to Brendan Cole's criticism of her Strictly skillsFilmed in her dressing room, the video showed the dancer looking incredible in a silver dress, while blowing a kiss to the camera.She mimed Mariah Carey's soundbite, ‘And I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?’ which is the opening line of the 2009 single Obsessed.Amy captioned the post: ‘If you know, you know #bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind’.Viewers of the BBC show flooded the comments with praise for Amy’s response, writing: 'Keep shining - perfect response,''You are an icon of all queens. Your one in a million,''Amy girl none of us agree with that bitter man. We love you Queen!!!!!'But in a new development, Brendan is said to be 'gutted' after his brutal critique of Amy was 'blown all out of proportion'.His longtime pal James – who he is currently on tour with for Legends of The Dance Floor – has revealed that the dancer is 'quite upset about it all'.James exclusively told the Daily Mail: '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.'I mean... what he should have done in hindsight, I suppose, was find Amy's number and send her a message and go, "Please understand. It wasn't coming from a bad place."'James added: 'But it has definitely been blown all out of proportion, and he's a bit gutted about it, to be honest with you.'Amy revealed in February 2024 that she was officially cancer-free as doctors told her that tests showed 'no evidence of disease'.Despite this, the dancer still has to go to the hospital for regular check-ups, monthly injections, scans and follow-up treatments as part of her five-year recovery plan.Amy was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in May 2023, and underwent an initial mastectomy.Just months later, Amy learned she had another type of cancer, which was found elsewhere in the body.Amy was paired with JB Gill when she returned to Strictly in 2024, but she was forced to withdraw from the series halfway through after collapsing backstage.Last year, Amy danced with The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, but they were the first pairing to get the boot. Brendan Cole: Strictly Since The Start Brendan Cole has appeared in all of Strictly Come Dancing's 15 seasons - with his 2017 run his last. SEASON 1: Brendan was partnered with BBC newsreader Natasha KaplinskySEASON 1: Brendan was partnered with BBC newsreader and presenter Natasha Kaplinsky. The duo went on to win the first ever season of Strictly. Brendan's then-fiancée, Camilla Dallerup, reportedly broke off her engagement to him at the end of the season, after rumours of an affair between the two came to light.SEASON 2: For the second round of the show, Brendan was paired with Casualty actress Sarah Manners. They were eliminated in the fifth round. He returned for the 2004 Christmas Special and danced once more with Natasha, coming in second place.SEASON 3: This time Brendan was matched with GMTV presenter and newsreader Fiona Phillips and finished in ninth place. SEASON 4: Brendan was back for season 4 of the show, with Claire KingSEASON 4: It was ninth place yet again for Brendan when he returned to compete on the fourth season of the show, this time with Claire King.SEASON 5: Brendan teamed up with Kelly Brook for the fifth run of the show, but had to withdrew in week nine due to the death of Kelly's father.SEASON 6: Brendan's dance partner was presenter Lisa Snowdon. They reached the finals but were eliminated in third place.SEASON 7: Brendan danced with Jo Wood. They were eliminated in week six.SEASON 8: For the eighth season, American singer Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child, joined Brendan on the show but they were eliminated in the seventh week of competition. PROS: Nadia Bychkova and Brendan Cole SEASON 15: For his final season, Brendan was paired with Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte HawkinsSEASON 9: Lulu was Brendan's partner for this season and they were cut from the competition in week six.SEASON 10: Brendan was partnered with Olympic track cyclist, Victoria Pendleton. They were eliminated on the eighth week of competition.SEASON 11: Singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor teamed up with Brendan, and they reached the final. However, they were eliminated into fourth place.SEASON 12: Another Casualty actress joined Brendan on the dance floor this time around - Sunetra Sarker. They were the ninth couple to be eliminated.SEASON 13: Brendan competed with television presenter Kirsty Gallacher but they were voted out in week six. He then entered the Children in Need special which he won with actress Laura Main. He also took part in the 2015 Christmas Special, where he and season 11's winner Abbey Clancy,danced a waltz against his season 6 partner Lisa Snowdon.SEASON 14: Brendan was partnered up with American singer Anastacia. They were placed in the bottom two in week 2, however due to an injury sustained by Anastacia they were unable to do the dance off and were saved in the public vote. They were eventually eliminated in week 6.SEASON 15: For his final season, Brendan was paired with Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins. They were eliminated in week 4.