Amy Dowden has hit back at Brendan Cole’s criticism of her Strictly Come Dancing teaching, making it clear that kindness and being a positive role model matter far more to her than trading personal insults.
Speaking to The Mirror, the professional dancer addressed Brendan’s comments following her latest early exit from the BBC show.
Her response comes after fans rallied around Amy, pointing to the health challenges she has overcome. She returned to Strictly after undergoing treatment for aggressive grade three breast cancer.
Readers commenting on The Sun’s report of Brendan’s remarks also questioned his assessment of Amy’s teaching. Some argued that the abilities of her celebrity partners should be taken into consideration, while another praised her talent and described the comments as cruel.
Amy Dowden addresses Brendan Cole’s comments
Asked about Brendan’s criticism, Amy gave a blunt response to The Mirror, saying: “I’ll be honest, what do you expect from him?”
She went on to explain that making personal remarks was never how she had been brought up. Instead, Amy stressed the importance of showing kindness, particularly when thinking about the example set for younger generations.
The dancer also spoke about how she uses her public profile, highlighting her work with various charities and her desire to set the right example.
She said: “But also I want to be the right kind of role model. I run a dance academy and all my little boys and girls really look up to me.”
For Amy, that responsibility goes well beyond her appearances on television. The children she teaches also look to her for guidance, making the way she conducts herself just as important as her work on the dance floor.
Why Brendan Cole criticised Amy Dowden
The row follows Amy’s early departure from Strictly alongside her celebrity partner, Chris Appleton. It marked the second year in a row that she had been the first professional dancer eliminated from the competition.
Brendan, who was a professional on the show between 2004 and 2017, questioned whether Amy was fulfilling the demands of her role.
Speaking to Sky Vegas, he said: “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. 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,” he then added.
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Amy Dowden’s earlier message about kindness
Amy had already appeared to respond to the criticism on Instagram before giving her interview.
In the post, she wore a glittering ballroom dress while dancing and lip-syncing to Mariah Carey’s song Obsessed.
Her caption hinted that followers would understand the reference, while also including hashtags encouraging people to be kind. Although she did not mention Brendan by name, the post came in the wake of his comments.
Rather than directly naming her critic, Amy’s message appeared to reinforce the point she later made in her interview: kindness matters, particularly when others are looking up to you.
Read more: Strictly fans in tears as Will Best and Dianne Buswell break down in ‘wholesome’ VT: ‘How sweet’
The Strictly results show airs tonight (Sunday, October 18) from 7.10pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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