Ex Strictly pro Brendan Cole 'gutted' by backlash to his critique of Amy Dowden's skills: 'He's quite upset about the whole thing':

Ex Strictly pro Brendan Cole is said to be 'gutted' after his brutal critique of Amy Dowden was 'blown all out of proportion'.

Amy, 36, was the first pro of the new BBC series to be eliminated for the second year in a row, after she and hairdresser Chris Appleton, 43, ended up in the dance-off during last Sunday's show.

Following her exit, former Strictly pro Brendan shared in an interview that he feels Amy 'hasn't been up to the challenge' of training another celebrity, despite bravely returning to the show after her battle with cancer.

His comments sparked backlash from fans, with Amy later posting a clapback on social media.

Now, Brendan's longtime pal James Jordan – who he is currently on tour with for Legends of The Dance Floor – has revealed that the dancer is 'quite upset about it all'.

James exclusively told the Daily Mail: '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.

'I mean... what he should have done in hindsight, I suppose, was find Amy's number and send her a message and go, "Please understand. It wasn't coming from a bad place."'

James added: 'But it has definitely been blown all out of proportion, and he's a bit gutted about it, to be honest with you.'

Asked if he thinks Brendan will break his own silence on the situation and make a public apology, the dancer replied: 'I think he will let the dust settle, and he's also of the opinion, he said, "I've done nothing wrong." 

'So, it's a difficult one, isn't it? You're damned if you do, damned if you don't.

'He's just a bit gutted about the whole thing because he said I didn't mean it in the way that everyone's saying that, but what can you do?'

It comes after Amy was praised by fans for her 'iconic' response to Brendan's criticism of her Strictly skills.

Taking to Instagram last week, Amy responded with a video posted moments before the live show began.

Filmed in her dressing room, the video showed the dancer looking incredible in a silver dress, while blowing a kiss to the camera.

She mimed Mariah Carey's soundbite, ‘And I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?’ which is the opening line of the 2009 single Obsessed.

Amy captioned the post: ‘If you know, you know #bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind’.

Viewers of the BBC show flooded the comments with praise for Amy’s response, writing: 'Keep shining - perfect response,'

'You are an icon of all queens. Your one in a million,'; 'Amy girl none of us agree with that bitter man. We love you Queen!!!!!'

'I am so here for this response, you go our amazing welsh lady,'; 'Icon',; 'This is sooo iconic of you!!!'

Brendan remarked the week before that he felt the dancer 'hasn't been doing a very good job' as a dancer on the show.

He said: 'To be a pro on Strictly is a big job and one has to be up to the challenge.

'Amy has not been up to the challenge, in my opinion.

'I don't think Amy's been doing a very good job for the last few years and she's been out first for the last few years. One can do the maths on that.'

Brendan told Sky Vegas: 'She's standing out there counting him in. She's counting every step for him. It's very obvious that the job has not been done, and I don't think people are enjoying it.'

Amy revealed in February 2024 that she was officially cancer-free as doctors told her that tests showed 'no evidence of disease'.

Despite this, the dancer still has to go to the hospital for regular check-ups, monthly injections, scans and follow-up treatments as part of her five-year recovery plan.

Amy was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in May 2023, and underwent an initial mastectomy.

Just months later, Amy learned she had another type of cancer, which was found elsewhere in the body.

Amy was paired with JB Gill when she returned to Strictly in 2024, but she was forced to withdraw from the series halfway through after collapsing backstage.

Last year, Amy danced with The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, but they were the first pairing to get the boot.