Amy Dowden says Brendan Cole’s Strictly criticism felt personal

“I’m sad it was so personal,” Dowden said. “It wasn’t just about the dancing, it was personal. But I don’t want to give him the attention he so desperately craves.” She said Cole had not contacted her to ask how she was after the headlines, adding: “I don’t expect anything else.”

Cole, 50, who left Strictly in 2018, said he did not think Dowden, 36, had been “doing a very good job for the last few years” and accused her of not being up to the challenge. Dowden was the first contestant eliminated this series, after reaching the dance-off with her celebrity partner, Chris Appleton. It was her second consecutive year as the show’s first exit: last September, she left in week one with Tom Skinner.

Dowden returned to the ballroom in 2024 after treatment for breast cancer. That year, she competed with JLS singer JB Gill, and the pair topped the leaderboard until she withdrew because of an injury; Lauren Oakley replaced her. Dowden was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer in 2023 after finding a lump while on honeymoon with her husband, Ben Jones. She underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy, and later experienced sepsis and a blood clot on her lung. In early 2024, she said a check-up showed “no sign of the disease”; an official all-clear would not be given for five years.

She has also spoken about living with Crohn’s disease since childhood, including in the BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Crohn’s And Me. Her awareness-raising and fundraising work was recognised with an MBE in the 2024 Birthday Honours. Dowden said she remains involved in Strictly, performing in a group, and still hopes to win its Glitterball trophy. She and Karim Zeroual finished second in 2019. The dancer spoke to Closer at the Women Of The Year Awards at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.