Amy Dowden Rebukes Brendan Cole Over Strictly Criticism

A public dispute over professional standards on Strictly Come Dancing intensified after Welsh dancer Amy Dowden challenged former cast member Brendan Cole over criticism of her work. Speaking at the Pride of Britain Awards on Monday, October 19, 2026, Dowden said his remarks about her performance had been upsetting and questioned why he had not contacted her directly.

Cole, 50, criticized Dowden after she and celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton became the first couple eliminated from the 2026 competition. According to reports published by the Mirror and WalesOnline, he questioned whether she had performed well in recent years and suggested she had not met the demands of the professional role.

The comments attracted criticism from viewers, particularly because Dowden was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in May 2023. She announced in February 2024 that she was cancer-free following treatment and subsequently returned to the BBC competition.

Speaking to the Daily Mail at the Pride of Britain Awards, Dowden said direct communication would have been preferable to public criticism.

"Rather than him worry about what the headlines were saying about himself it would've been nice for him to call. He's got my number. Some of those headlines were quite upsetting, he said I've not done a good job since my cancer." Dowden told the Daily Mail.

She said she had not heard from Cole after the controversy and added that she did not expect him to contact her. When asked whether a male professional dancer would have received similar criticism, she declined to speculate and said she did not want to give him the attention he craved.

Dowden had also addressed the dispute in comments to the Mirror earlier in October, emphasizing the importance of kindness and her responsibilities as a role model. She said her work with charities and her own dance academy influenced how she approached public disagreements.

"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," Dowden told the Mirror.

After Cole's remarks, Dowden posted an Instagram video in which she mimed a line from Mariah Carey's song "Obsessed" and blew a kiss toward the camera. The caption included a message encouraging kindness, and fans and fellow performers praised her response.

Strictly professionals Aljaž Škorjanec, Dianne Buswell and Kevin Clifton showed their support, while Carlos Gu called her response "Iconic as always" in a comment. Appleton also posted a message of support, and fans praised Dowden online.

Former Strictly professional James Jordan defended Cole during interviews with GB News and Mail Online, saying the criticism had upset his friend and that the remarks had been misunderstood. Jordan argued that Cole had been commenting on the dancing rather than Dowden's medical history.

"It wasn't what people think; he never meant it in that way, and he's actually quite upset about the whole thing. It's all been taken out of proportion, and yeah, it's a shame, because he was asked a question about them leaving and just said that he didn't think the choreography was that good. And then people were saying, 'Oh, she's a cancer survivor,' and it's horrendous what she's been through, and she does amazing things for Crohn's and cancer and this and that.

But hang on a minute... He was just asked about her dancing. He wasn't asked about any of that.

So this makes him look really, really bad when he didn't mean it in the way that it's now been all blown out of proportion, which is a shame, really," Jordan told Mail Online.

Jordan also acknowledged that Cole could have contacted Dowden to clarify his intentions. He said his friend was upset by the reaction and believed the controversy had escalated beyond what Cole intended.

Dowden's recent Strictly appearances followed several career setbacks. She was eliminated first with contestant Thomas Skinner in 2025 and later withdrew from a subsequent series after suffering a leg injury while partnered with singer JB Gill, with professional dancer Lauren Oakley replacing her.

Despite her early exit with Appleton, Dowden returned to the dance floor for a performance with fellow professional Kai Widdrington and singer Belles. The performance, filmed on Saturday, October 17, was shown during the results program on Sunday, October 18, as part of a tribute to country music star Dolly Parton, who died in August at age 80 from cancer.

In a TikTok video accompanying the performance, Dowden used a recording of Parton encouraging listeners to remain confident in themselves and resist others' attempts to limit their ambitions. Fans praised the performance and expressed continued support for the Welsh dancer, who joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2017.