Brendan Cole has insisted he’s NOT encouraging viewers to boycott Strictly Come Dancing following his departure.
The professional dancer, who was axed from the BBC One competition last week, took to Twitter to deny the claim.
Brendan, 41, had fuelled speculation he agreed with a boycott after ‘liking’ some tweets from fans saying they wouldn’t watch Strictly without him on the show.
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But the dancer later returned to the social media site to clarify his position, after reading a report that he was backing a viewer boycott.
“No. I absolutely do not,” he said.
“I love Strictly and the people on it and I’m incredibly proud of my 15 series. It’s an incredible show that everyone should continue to watch.”
Fans were quick to rally around Brendan, praising his dignity at how he’s handling his Strictly axing.
Many also said even if he didn’t agree with a boycott, they truly didn’t think the show would be the same without him.
One wrote: “It will be hard to watch without you Brendan. Lost its sparkle now. It is a great show though xxxx.”
Brendan also rubbished claims he’d been snubbed by his fellow Strictly dancers, after a report circulated that very few fellow pros had reached out to him.
He tweeted: “Another nonsense story printed today saying that I feel snubbed by my fellow #strictly pros. Couldn’t be further from the truth. All have either messaged or called and some have tweeted. Please stop writing [bleep]! To my fellow pros… thank you!”
And, proving his point, many pro dancers took to Twitter to wish him well.
Brendan announced on ITV’s Lorraine last week that BBC had chosen not to renew his Strictly Come Dancing contract,
The dancer, who had been with the programme since the first series, was visibly emotional as he broke the news.
“This is quite hard to talk about. The BBC haven’t renewed my contract – we get renewed year on year – and they made an editorial decision not to have me back on the show.
“I’m a little bit in shock. I’m quite emotional, a bit raw about it.
“It’s done via a process of a phone call and stuff. I have had 15 incredible series on the show. I’m very proud of the whole show. It’s a great team.”
In a statement, the BBC said: “We’d like to thank Brendan Cole for being part of the show since the beginning – winner of the first series – and for the contribution he has made to its success.
“We wish him all the very best for the future.
Meanwhile, it’s been reported that Brendan is hugely in demand following his Strictly exit.
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There have been rumours of a possible judging role on Dancing On Ice, a stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, and even a move to LA to join Dancing with the Stars, where ex Strictly judge Len Goodman leads the panel.
Good luck on whatever you do, Brendan!
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