Strictly Come Dancing pro Brendan Cole has hit out at his former show after asking Cynthia Erivo to join the panel last weekend.
The glitzy BBC One show returned to screens on Saturday night (October 11) for its epic Movie Night. Taking the dance floor were the likes of Amber Davies, Lewis Cope and Alex Kingston.
The show also underwent a shake-up as superstar Cynthia joined the judges on the iconic panel. But the decision to feature Cynthia didn’t go down well with a former Strictly Come Dancing pro…
Cynthia Erivo on the Strictly panel
At the weekend, Wicked icon Cynthia was on hand to offer guidance and feedback to the 2025 stars. She joined the contestants in the training room during the week, and was also invited to sit with the judges at the weekend, where she shared her feedback to the stars after their dances.
However, while she offered her feedback to the stars, she wasn’t given a paddle or the ability to vote. And while Cynthia’s appearance divided plenty of viewers at home, the decision to have her on the show left one pro dancer rather unimpressed.
“There was so much going on so adding Cynthia Erivo was an interesting decision. I don’t really get that,” Brendan Cole told ED!, speaking on behalf of Sky Vegas.
Brendan slams decision to feature Cynthia
Brendan Cole – who appeared on Strictly between 2004 and 2017 – then revealed that he would not be happy if it had happened to him if he was still a pro dancer on the show, as “the smallest bit of outside input can completely throw them”.
He explained: “I’d be livid if someone came in and started telling my partner what to do on the day of the competition. You spend all week prepping your celebrity, getting them exactly where you want them.
“The smallest bit of outside input can completely throw them. It can help, sure, but it can also undo things you’ve worked on if someone suddenly says, ‘Be more flamboyant here,’ and they focus on that instead of all the technical stuff they’ve been grafting on.”
The show didn’t really need it in my opinion.
However, he then noted: “If it were at the start or even in the middle of the week then fantastic, what a lovely thing to have, she’s clearly a wonderful mentor to have.”
Brendan then pointed out how “different” Strictly is now, compared to when he was on it.
“The show’s quite different now, and I’m not sure the pros have the same level of input with their partners as we used to,” he said.
And going back to Cynthia’s Strictly stint, Brendan added: “There was a lot of fangirling over Cynthia, which is lovely – she’s amazing, a great theatrical performer – but the show didn’t really need it in my opinion. It just made the episode longer and added yet another opinion for the couples to take on board. But that’s just my view.”
Ouch!
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