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Strictly Come Dancing: Fiona Phillips reignites feud with Brendan Cole as she labels pro as ‘rough’

The former Strictly partners appeared on the show in 2005

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Strictly Come Dancing star Fiona Phillips has reignited her feud with Brendan Cole, after labelling the pro a “rough old taskmaster”.

The former GMTV presenter, 60, appeared alongside Brendan on the BBC reality series back in 2005.

But despite describing her stint as an experience, Fiona recently insisted she should “never have done” the show.

Fiona Phillips
Fiona Phillips has reignited her feud with Strictly Come Dancing pro Brendan Cole (Credit: This Morning/YouTube)

Strictly Come Dancing: What did Fiona Phillips say?

Opening up on her Strictly stint, Fiona told the Mirror: “It’s funny but for someone who has spent a lot of time in broadcasting, I’ve always been quite shy and have low self-esteem.

“I felt so self-conscious, but I thought, ‘I will have a professional dancer and it’s a nice programme’. But Brendan is a rough old taskmaster and really wanted to be number one or nothing.”

Brendan is a rough old taskmaster and really wanted to be number one or nothing

The TV star added: “I just wasn’t very good.

“I became a comedy type figure. I’m not glad I did it, but it was an experience.”

Brendan Cole (Credit: Splash News)
Fiona labelled the pro a ‘rough old taskmaster’ (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Read more: Oti Mabuse unveils hair transformation after Strictly Come Dancing win

What has Fiona said about Brendan in the past?

Shortly after Brendan was axed from Strictly in 2018, Fiona claimed it was “karma”.

She told the Daily Star: “Brendan was a real bugger, actually. He wasn’t very nice. He was really naughty.

“He’s not on the show now. Karma indeed. It works its way every time.”

The pro dancer was also rumoured not to get on with singer Lulu.

Fiona and Brendan appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005 (Credit: YouTube/BBC)

Read more: Fiona Phillips hits back at claims she and former co-star Eamonn Holmes ‘couldn’t stand each other’

Meanwhile, Brendan first appeared on the show in 2004.

However, the BBC made the decision not to renew his contract in 2018.

Speaking on Lorraine at the time, he said: “It’s quite, actually, hard to talk about. The BBC haven’t renewed my contract.”

In addition, he explained: “They’ve made an editorial decision to not have me back on the show. I’m a little bit in shock.”

EXCLUSIVE: Brendan Cole Confirms He's Leaving 'Strictly Come Dancing' | Lorraine

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor