CHANGING HIS TUNE
Has Brendan got the X factor?
Brendan Cole is used to rolling with the punches, but the Kiwi once dubbed “the bad boy of ballroom” is still smarting from his shock TV axing last year.
The Christchurch-born dancer appeared on the hit UK show Strictly Come Dancing (the British version of Dancing with the Stars) for a whopping 15 seasons before being fired last year amid rumours that the show’s producers were tired of his “diva-like” attitude.
The dad-of-two has since signed up for the latest X Factor spin-off – The X Factor: Celebrity
– but it appears the sting of his sacking has yet to wear off.
“One of the saddest things about leaving Strictly was a report claiming the production staff found me hard to work with,” Brendan said last week.
“That hurt me to the bone. Generally speaking, I have a very good relationship with them and I would always make sure they were okay. I recognise what they do – they work harder than anyone – so that was a kick in the teeth.
“I may have fallen out with a couple of partners, or had a go at someone for doing the wrong thing, but I never asked anyone to get me coffee.”
London-based Brendan, who also judged five seasons of New Zealand’s Dancing with the Stars, says he jumped at the chance to appear in Simon Cowell’s new song quest despite his unproven vocal skills.
For the competition, he’s formed a boy band with Holby City actor Jeremy Edwards (48).
“I didn’t want to go in as a solo singer because there would be amazing singers, and I’m not an amazing singer, but hopefully I’ve got some stage presence,” he says with a laugh.
Ironically, his new reality TV show is slated to go head-tohead with Strictly Come Dancing in the ratings battle.
After hanging up his dancing shoes in favour of a microphone, the former roof layer says he’s taking his change of profession seriously, quipping, “I’d love to win and have a Christmas number one!”
The performer is no stranger to controversy. An eight-year relationship with dancer Camilla Sacre-Dallerup (45) ended in 2004 when his steamy dancefloor chemistry with celebrity partner Natasha Kaplinsky (47) hit the gossip columns.
And insiders say he authored his own demise on Strictly Come Dancing when he breached protocol by taking Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, for a waltz during a Buckingham Palace event after being ordered not to.
This year, he came under fire again for going out partying within hours of his model wife Zoe (37) giving birth to their son Dante, a sister for Aurelia (6).
But for now, he’s just focused on making sweet, sweet music.