Now you can see what I’m really like – a bit of an idiot! Brendan Cole
partner, newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky, 49, as his engagement to fellow dancer Camilla Dallerup ended – though the pair denied any affair.
So it was almost inevitable he would find himself the subject of speculation again. However, the “curse” is not something he or his model and wellness blogger wife Zoe, 37, need to worry about.
Brendan says: “The curse is not an issue for me, no. I’m a happily married man dancing with a beautiful young lady who’s almost half my age!
“Zoe has been an angel. She’s been incredible throughout this. She’s had two children pretty much on her own for the duration.
“I can’t thank her enough for that because if you’re in a relationship, you can’t do a show like this without support, it would just be too hard.”
Zoe and the kids have now reunited with Brendan having moved to their UK home in Buckinghamshire to support him on the show.
He adds: “I’m sure there are days where she wants to lock the door and keep me out because I come in with my little head spinning with stuff, but she’s been amazing.
“The children are very excited about it, my daughter in particular. They get to come to the show and I’ve had Aurelia on the ice a couple of times, which is nice.
“It’s a lovely thing to do, having been on Strictly for so long. This is a job where I get to really grow and do something very different.”
For now, all his focus is on skating in one of the most competitive series in the show’s history. While he and Vanessa have been bagging top scores they face stiff competition from fellow professional dancer Regan
Gascoigne and
Pussycat Doll Kimberly
Wyatt. Yet despite both skaters also coming from a dance background, it is
Brendan who has come in for criticism from fans who think his 15 years on Strictly give him an unfair advantage.
“I think everybody’s got their own strength and weakness,” he says. “And you can’t compare apples with pears. Yes, I find it easy to pick up choreography because it’s something I’ve done for many years, whereas somebody else may struggle. There’s definitely a competition within a competition for the ones that have dance experience, of which there are a few.
“Whoever wins at the end, good luck, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about what we do against each other on the ice each weekend and building on that for the next Sunday.”
As the competition hots up, fans might be expecting to see Brendan lose his cool over criticism from the panel – Olympic legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Diversity’s Ashley Banjo and Strictly star Oti Mabuse. On Strictly, Brendan would bite back, but he says the chances of that happening now are slim.
He adds: “It was my job to keep the judges in check [on Strictly] because that’s having your partner’s back...to defend them and not let the judges ruin their confidence.
“This is a different role. I want their knowledge. I want their expertise. I want them to tell me what I’m doing wrong.
“I want them to be pleased with what they see, but I also want them to give me their
ideas of where they see me going in the future so that I can come back the week after and hopefully impress them.”
He’s certainly impressing the viewers.
Dancing on Ice, Sunday, 6pm, VM1