Amy Dowden recently received a blunt assessment of her work as a Strictly Come Dancing professional from former show pro Brendan Cole.
Speaking to Sky Vegas, he questioned her teaching over recent series. He said he doesn’t think Amy has “been up to the challenge”.
His comments follow Amy’s early exit with Chris Appleton, when they became this series’ first eliminated couple.
Since Brendan’s comments, Amy has shared a defiant post on Instagram urging people to “be kind”.
View this post on Instagram
Alongside a video of her lip-syncing to a TikTok sound which says: “I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?” before breaking into Mariah Carey’s hit song Obsessed.
Amy captioned the post on Saturday: “If you know, you know #bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind #kindness.”
Fans praised the video, with many assuming it was a clapback at Brendan. One person said: “That so-called ex-pro could never, for someone who hates Strictly all he does is talk about it, he’s just jealous, keep on slaying life Amy.”
Another wrote: “You look so amazing Amy! I bet you wished you looked amazing too but you don’t @brendancoleinsta.”
A third added: “I don’t think Brendan got the #bekind memo, so rude of him.”
Brendan Cole questions Amy Dowden’s teaching
In his comments about Amy, Brendan, who appeared on the BBC show from 2004 until 2018, framed the professional role as a demanding one.
He described guiding a celebrity through the competition as a major responsibility.
He said: “Amy has not been up to the challenge, in my opinion.”
Brendan’s sharpest criticism focused on how effectively she had prepared celebrity partners.
“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,” he continued.
The former pro also claimed he could see Amy count partners into routines. In his view, that suggested the teaching had not fully translated onto the dance floor.
Brendan further claimed people were not enjoying what they saw.
‘How cruel’
Fans of the show didn’t take Brendan’s words lightly and quickly hit back.
“There’s a reason why Brendan Cole is an ex Strictly Pro!” one user wrote on X.
“Sour grapes!! She’s doing better than him, she’s still on the show!!!” another person shared.
“A crass thing to say. Amy may have had some licence because of health but this seems to have passed Brendan by. He’s a bit of an oaf so no surprise,” a third remarked.
“If you’ve got nothing good to say, just keep it to yourself. How cruel,” a fourth said.
Amy Dowden reflects on Strictly exit with Chris Appleton
Amy and Chris landed in the bottom two with actress Jaime Winstone and professional Carlos Gu.
They then became the first couple eliminated from the current series. The result meant Amy had left first for a second consecutive year.
Amy said she was gutted and felt their partnership still had more to offer. She added: “I honestly think there was so much more to come.”
It followed Amy’s first elimination with Thomas Skinner in 2025, after a dance-off against Chris Robshaw.
That result became central to Brendan’s argument about her recent record.
Amy’s health and injury setbacks
Any assessment of Amy’s recent Strictly record sits beside major interruptions to her time on the programme.
She could not compete in 2023 during her breast cancer battle. In 2024, a broken foot forced her to leave partner JB Gill.
Amy had joined Strictly in 2017. After the 2025 exit, she rejected claims that bosses paired her with Thomas to protect her health.
She told The Telegraph that she wanted to prove people could return and do well after cancer.
Her statement also praised Thomas for working hard despite arriving without dance experience.
This history does not answer Brendan’s criticism, but it provides relevant context for her recent seasons.
Read more: Axed Strictly pro Brendan Cole performs U-turn on Johannes Radebe
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