Shirley Ballas has hit back at a former Strictly Come Dancing pro who was seemingly axed after a fiery spat with the head judge. Brendan Cole, who was dropped from the BBC dance competition in 2018 while it was alleged that he was "difficult to work with", once suggested that a rift with Shirley may have played a role in his departure.
Speaking on ITV'sLorraine at the time, the New Zealand-born ballroom dancer, who had been part of the popular dancing show since it launched in 2004, said he was "in shock" at the decision.
He claimed that they'd made an "editorial decision" for him not to return to the show, adding that he was a "quite emotional and a bit raw about it" and also "very disappointed".
Brendan also gave an interview to the Daily Mail, in which he suggested that he may have put himself in this position when he used a "patronising" phrase when Shirley critiqued a dance he had performed with Good Morning Britain's Charlotte Hawkins.
He admitted that he was unsure whether it was "handled" correctly on air, adding that he "didn't get aggressive". He also noted that he disagreed with the assessment and that Bruno Tonioli had told him he should be "more respectful".
However, he also disclosed that he regretted using the phrase, "I will, my dear", when she suggested that he watch a video of the tango. He said: "The phrase 'my dear' is patronising and I certainly didn't mean to be. I'm not a patronising person."
He added: "But I'd just done a dance live on air with Charlotte, who I really care about. You want the best for her. You want to stay in the show and you know you're vulnerable because you're certainly not one of the best couples."
Brendanwent on to say: "If I could work it out, I would. All I know is you can't put a foot wrong. You can't even dip a toe on the other side within that world because it will be taken, it will be run with, and before long you're in a s***storm."
Seven years later, Shirley hit back at the dancer in her 2025 book, Best Foot Forward, claiming that he had "expressed some scepticism" about her before she took over from previous head judge Len Goodman.
Shirleywrote: "When [It Takes Two] host Zoe Ball asked him if all the pros were going to be 'desperate to impress' me, he pompously fired back that it was me who should be looking to impress them because they'd all been there much longer.
"That set the tone, and he paved the way to disaster from there."
She reportedly suggested that his remarks may have arisen as a result of his not being chosen for the role, with Shirley believing that he had auditioned for the job himself.
Shirley went on to allege that Brendan was "trying anything and everything" to put her down, but it all ultimately exploded in week three of the competitionwith the "my dear" incident.
You can catch Shirley on Saturday Kitchen Live on BBC One today (Saturday, January 10), from 9:45am to 11:15am.
