Former Strictly pro Brendan Cole predicts that Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova will be eliminated first this weekend in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Daily.
Last Saturday (September 20), the 2025 series finally launched its 21st series, and already, the show is making headlines left, right and centre.
During last weekend’s pre-recorded launch, the celebs and pro dancers found out who they were paired with. Luckily for former rugby player Chris, he was told he was competing with Nadiya Bychkova.
Strictly star Brendan Cole thinks Chris and Nadiya will be axed first
Despite Rob’s clear excitement for the show, Brendan told ED! that he isn’t completely sold on the pairing himself.
“Sadly, one of the weaker pairings could be Chris Robshaw with Nadiya Bychkova. He seems to have the right attitude going into the show – he looks like he genuinely wants to be there, which is lovely, because a lot of sportspeople don’t,” he said on behalf of Sky Vegas.
“But I worry it’s going to come across as a bit heavy and cumbersome, without a huge amount of television personality,” Brendan added.
“I’m sure he’s not shy – I’ve met him a few times, and he’s a nice guy with good chat. But on this show, you need that extra spark, and I’m not convinced it will come across. On paper, he and Nadiya look great together – tall, blonde, a strong couple visually. But he needs someone like Dianne [Buswell], who could really bring out his personality.”
Brendan questions whether Nadiya is “the right match for him”, stating that he’s not criticising her at all. Instead, he believes Chris needs “someone a bit more jovial or silly”.
Brendan’s favourites
There are two celebrity couples who Brendan thinks could go far. The first being La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec.
“They’re a great pairing. La Voix is hilarious and really gets the show and from the very first moment she showed that – it’s great and the way it should be,” he said.
Brendan also has his eyes firmly on Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin.
“They’ll come up with some cool stuff together. I’m not sure yet if she’s going to be brilliant or just good, but she has something,” he added.
Read more: Strictly star Brendan Cole slams ‘irritating’ Thomas Skinner as he sympathises with Amy Dowden
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