Amy Dowden responds to Brendan Cole’s ‘cruel’ swipe following cancer battle
AMY Dowden has taken the high road in response to ex-Strictly pro Brendan Cole’s remarks about her abilities as a dancer.
Brendan – who featured as a pro on the show from 2004 until 2017 – brutally claimed that Amy has “not been doing a very good job”, despite returning to the show after undergoing treatment for grade three aggressive breast cancer.
Brendan made the dig after Amy was the first to be voted off this year’s Strictly for the second year in a row, this time with her partner Chris Appleton.
In a new interview with The Mirror, Amy addressed Brendan’s comments, saying: “I’ll be honest, what do you expect from him?
“It’s fine – I’ve never been brought up to be personal, and in this day and age especially I think it’s so important to be kind, and to think about the next generation.
“I always try to use my platform in the right way – I work with various charities.
“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.
“That’s important.”
Amy had also reacted to Brendan’s comments in an Instagram post, shortly after he made the remarks.
Dressed in a glittering ballroom dress, she lip-synced and danced to the iconic Mariah Carey track Obsessed.
She also penned the caption: “If you know, you know #bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind”
Brendan’s remarks came during a chat with Sky Vegas, where the 50-year-old, who exited Strictly a decade ago, said: “To be a pro on Strictly is a big job and one has to be up to the challenge.
“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.”
Amy’s fans were seething at his words, calling Brendan “wrong” and ordering him to “leave her alone”.
Writing underneath The Sun’s story about Brendan’s comments, one user said: “It’s really wrong to have any complaints re Amy, she has been through a lot, and paired with a few contestants who were not ‘gifted’.”
“Leave her alone. Don’t you think she has been through enough, and to be the first one out is taking its toll on her,” said a second, as a third echoed: “How dare he say these awful things. Amy is immensely talented. His comments are plain cruel. Never liked his arrogant attitude.”