Strictly’s Brendan bows out: Why he got the axe...
Why Strictly’s Brendan Cole really got the axe…
Brendan Cole, best’s Strictly columnist last year, is the first to describe himself as ‘fiery’ – but the controversial dancer may be regretting his outspoken behaviour, following his shock sacking from the show.
As he admitted last week to TV host Lorraine Kelly, Brendan struggled to hold back his tears as he revealed, ‘The BBC haven’t renewed my contract… I’m quite emotional, a bit raw about it.’
Brendan, 41, has always had a tendency to speak first, think later. But did he ruffle a few too many feathers last year?
Some upset fans on social media blame head judge Shirley Ballas for Brendan’s downfall, with one saying, ‘Strictly ridiculous to dump Brendan… he’s a much bigger draw than ghastly Shirley,’ while another said, ‘Huge mistake… especially if the rumour about Shirley being at the bottom of this is true.’
And Fiona Phillips, Brendan’s dance partner in series three, also questioned the decision, saying, ‘Maybe Strictly is shooting itself in its own dancing feet… ’
So why did the BBC get rid of the dancer who has been on the show since it began 13 years ago? Admitting that his forthright views make him ‘a bit like Marmite’ (i.e. you either love him or hate him), Brendan seemed to hint at run-ins with colleagues.
‘I’m sure I’ll never know the ins and outs,’ he told Lorraine. ‘I’m a strong character within the show. I have my strong views. Some like it, some don’t.’
His infamous spat with Shirley, when she criticised his dance with Charlotte Hawkins last October, may have been the final straw – but it wasn’t his first feud with a judge.
In 2010, he slammed thenhead judge Len Goodman’s comments about his dance with Michelle Williams, telling him to ‘go to Specsavers’.
Brendan hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with his celebrity partners, either – just last month admitting, ‘I haven’t liked a few of them. Is that going to get me fired?!’ Oh, dear. Breaking up is always hard to do, but Brendan’s putting a brave face on it, already jesting that he’s now ‘available for weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs… ’ Unless, as bookies suggest, he could return to Strictly as head judge – or, as some are speculating, be snapped up by ITV for Dancing On Ice!
Meanwhile, GMB host Charlotte – with whom Brendan really did have the last dance – said, ‘It’s really sad. End of an era… Won’t be the same without him.’
‘I haven’t liked a few of my celebrity dance partners. Is that going to get me fired?!’