Amy Dowden answers Brendan Cole as Strictly exits spark debate over her work

Amy Dowden’s latest Strictly exit has become a debate about the work behind the result. Former professional Brendan Cole said she hadn’t met the demands of the role in recent years; Dowden has answered by pointing to the example she hopes to set for young dancers.

Dowden and celebrity partner Chris Appleton were the first couple eliminated this series, marking the second year in a row that her partnership has left in the opening round. In 2025, she was paired with Thomas Skinner, who also went out first. Cole used those early exits to question Dowden’s work as a professional, saying she had not been doing a very good job and had not been “up to the challenge.”

His comments drew criticism online. They also landed against the backdrop of Dowden’s return to the show in 2024 after treatment for breast cancer, including a mastectomy and chemotherapy. Cole had won the first series of Strictly in 2004 with Natasha Kaplinsky, but his record as a former champion did little to soften the reaction to his assessment.

Dowden puts kindness and example first

Speaking to The Mirror, Dowden said she expected the remarks from Cole and stressed that she had not been raised to make criticism personal. Her response focused on the standards she wants to model, especially for children who look up to her through her dance academy.

“I want to be the right kind of role model,” she said, adding that she works with various charities and believes kindness matters. The response framed the dispute around the effect public comments can have, rather than an argument over whether a particular routine or partnership deserved a better result.

Dowden also posted a video of herself dancing and lip-syncing to Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed.” Her caption included the message “#bekind” and the phrase “in a world you can be anything be kind.” The post was widely read as a pointed reply, though Dowden’s words to the Mirror were more measured.

Jordan says Cole’s point was about the dancing

James Jordan, Cole’s friend and co-star on Legends of The Dance Floor, defended the intent behind the remarks. He told the Daily Mail that Cole had been asked about Dowden and Appleton leaving, and that his answer concerned the choreography and Dowden’s work as a professional.

Jordan said the comments had been taken out of proportion and that Cole was upset by the reaction. He argued that Cole had not been asked about Dowden’s health history or charity work, and said that, in hindsight, Cole could have contacted her directly to explain that his criticism was not meant personally.

That defence helps explain Cole’s view, but it doesn’t erase the distinction between judging choreography and making a broader assessment of a dancer’s professional performance. Dowden’s reply kept the focus on how criticism is delivered and on the responsibility she feels toward the children who follow her example.

A difficult run of Strictly exits

The latest departure extends a frustrating stretch for Dowden. She returned to Strictly in 2024 after stepping away for breast cancer treatment, and partnered singer JB Gill that year. Her series ended at Halloween after she collapsed backstage and was taken to hospital with a foot injury.

With Appleton’s elimination, her Strictly journey was cut short for a third consecutive year. After the result, she told host Emma Willis that she was heartbroken because she wouldn’t get to dance with him on Monday. She added that the partnership had given her “a friend for life,” which she said would help heal that disappointment.

The run of early or interrupted exits gives Cole’s criticism its immediate context, while Dowden’s response makes clear that her measure of the experience extends beyond the competition result. For now, the conversation has shifted from the first elimination itself to what a professional’s role entails: building a partnership on the floor, and setting an example beyond it.

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.