Strictly Come Dancing star 'hated' dancing with celebrity partner

Strictly Come Dancing has been on our television screens for over 20 years, but sometimes not every professional dancer will click with their celeb partner. Whilst some pairings have blossomed into romantic relationships, others haven't always seen eye to eye. During a recent chat with Closer Magazine, Brendan Cole has unveiled that he only "got on really well with about five" of his partners. The 49-year-old ballroom dancer appeared in the first 15 series of Strictly Come Dancing, and his first ever celebrity partner was BBC newsreader and presenter Natasha Kaplinsky. They eventually went on to win the first series in 2004.

He confessed: "Got on okay with another five, didn't particularly get on with four, and absolutely hated one. [...] That's just the truth of working closely with different people, you don't click with everyone, and that's completely normal."

Other partners that have been paired with Brendan include Sarah Manners, Fiona Phillips, Claire King, Lisa Snowdon, Kelly Brook, Lulu, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Anita Dobson.

He added: "Every pro says they've got the best celebrity, and every celebrity says they've got the best pro - because that's what you have to say. But that's not always the case. [...] From my own experience over fifteen series I'd say I got on really well with about five of my partners."

Despite being on the show for 15 years, Brendan was brutally axed from Strictly in 2018. Speaking to Lorraine, he explained that his departure was an "editorial decision."

He previously shared: "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," he added. "I've always known this day would come... I'm sure I'll never know the ins and outs. I'm a very strong character within the show, I have my strong views."

Since he left Strictly, Brendan has continued to stay in the TV spotlight. He famously signed up for Celebrity X Factor in 2019 and performed as a duo boyband: Cole and Edwards. But, he was booted out during the initial auditions.

In 2022, Brendan appeared as a contestant on Dancing on Ice. He made it all the way to the final but was narrowly defeated by fellow celebrity Regan Gascoigne, son of football legend Paul Gascoigne.

Strictly Come Dancing resumes on Saturday 18 October on BBC One.