Strictly Come Dancing favourite reveals he's been AXED from the show
Oh no!
Last updated 14th Aug 2018
Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole has revealed he is leaving the show after a massive 13 years.
Brendan appeared on today's episode of Lorraine where he held back the tears after admitting it wasn't his decision to leave popular dancing show Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly, Brendan admitted he hasn't has his contract renewed, despite featuring on the programme for the last 13 years.
He said, “It’s quite, actually, hard to talk about. The BBC haven’t renewed my contract. We get contracted year upon year. They’ve made an editorial decision to not have me back on the show. I’m a little bit in shock. I’m quite emotional, a bit raw about it.
“It’s done via a process of a phone call and stuff. I have had 15 incredible series on the show. I’m very proud of the whole show. It’s a great team.”
He later added, “I’m disappointed. It’s very hard to talk about. It’s a recent decision."
After his appearance on the show, the Strictly Come Dancing press office tweeted the news, thanking Brendan for his services on the show. The tweet read, 'We'd like to thank @BrendanCole for being part of the show since the beginning - winner of the first series - and for the contribution he has made to its success. We wish him all the very best for the future'.
But it seems fans of the show aren't happy about the decision, with many taking to Twitter to express their anger over Brendan's future.
Brendan's dance partner from 2017, Charlotte Dawkins, also tweeted her disappointment at the news. She wrote, 'Sad news from my dance partner @BrendanCole this morning that he won’t be a part of @bbcstrictly anymore. What an end of an era - he’s been such an integral part of the show since it started 15 series ago. It won’t be the same without him 😔😔'.
The New Zealand born dancer first appeared on Strictly Come Dancing way back in 2005 when the show first hit TV screens.
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Partnered with news presenter Natasha Kaplinsky, the pair became the first couple to win the show, with Brendan's next best position coming in 2008, when he finished third with his celebrity partner Lisa Snowdon.
In recent years Brendan has failed to make a mark on the show, with partners such as Kirsty Gallacher, Anastacia and Charlotte Dawkins, the professional dancer has been eliminated in the first couple of weeks.
Speaking to Lorraine about his recent partners, Brendan said, "The last five years I haven’t really made much of a noise on the show with my partners, they haven’t been able to do what I’ve wanted to do. No disrespect to them. I haven’t had one of the ones that had a bit of dance experience that you can really challenge."
He will certainly be a miss on the show!
After Holby City's Joe McFadden won the show last year, Strictly Come Dancing is set to return to our TV screens again later this year.