Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has been praised for her response to criticism from former pro Brendan Cole.
Earlier this week, Cole, who appeared on the show from 2004 to 2017, claimed that Dowden has “not been up to the challenge” of appearing on Strictly in recent years.
“To be a pro on Strictly is a big job and one has to be up to the challenge,” he said. “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,” he added. “One can do the maths on that.”
His remarks came after Dowden, 36, became the first professional to be eliminated from the 2026 series after she and dance partner Chris Appleton lost out in the dance off to Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu.
The popular pro took a hiatus from Strictly in 2023 while she underwent treatment for grade three breast cancer, then had to leave the competition early the following year after sustaining a foot injury.
Dowden, however, didn’t seem bothered by Cole’s comments as she shared a cheerful clapback on social media before the live show kicked off on Saturday evening (10 October).
The dancer shared a video on Instagram in which she blew a kiss to the camera and lip synced to the opening lines of Mariah Carey’s 2009 track “Obsessed”, miming the words: “And I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?”
“If you know, you know,” she wrote in the caption, before adding: “#bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind”
Her response earned praise from her Instagram followers, with current and former Strictly stars sharing their support.
Strictly 2026 contestant and House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia wrote: “You’re incredible. This is iconic and we all ❤️ you.”
“Beautiful inside and out,” added Sarah Hadland, who competed in the show in 2024.
One fan hailed her “perfect response” and urged her to “keep shining”, while another said: “Sometimes people can be so bitter! You are a star shining brightly.”
“The response from the public to the articles shows where their loyalties lie anyway,” a third suggested, encouraging Dowden to “keep being the lovely, talented human you’ve always been”.
Negative words mean 1 of 3 things, jealousy, bitterness, or a lack of understanding,” another wrote. “All three say more about them than they ever will about you.”
Earlier this week, Dowden admitted that she was feeling “gutted” after bowing out from the competition so early on.
“From the first day to dancing on Saturday night, [Chris] grew and grew and grew [in confidence] and I’m just gutted that we didn’t get the chance to continue,” she told Strictly spin-off It Takes Two. “I honestly think there was so much more to come.”
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