Brendan Cole thinks fiery backstage Strictly Come Dancing clash impacted his career
Brendan Cole thinks a producer, who now works as a booker on some of the biggest TV shows, has blocked him from landing jobs on those programmes after he snapped at her backstage on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004.
Brendan Cole fears a Strictly Come Dancing producer blacklisted him from big TV shows following a fiery backstage clash with her.
The former pro on the BBC Latin and Ballroom dance competition snapped at the woman for "rushing" his partner, and inaugural winner, former newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky, 53, to the studio in 2004, and Brendan thinks that the producer has sought revenge in her role as a booker for big programmes.
Asked if he has lost jobs because of his bad boy reputation, Brendan, 50, told Smooth Spins Casino: "Oh yeah, I’m sure of it."
The entertainer then recalled: "I remember snapping at a producer during the first season of Strictly. She was trying to rush my partner, Natasha Kaplinsky, to the set, and I lost my temper. I annoyed her, and she’s now a booker for some of the biggest shows. I know she’ll never offer me a job."
Brendan wonders "what could have been" if the incident had not happened.
The ballroom dancer famously clashed with the show's judges over the years, sparking claims he was "difficult" to work with.
Asked if he has regrets during his time in showbiz, Brendan admitted: "I don’t tend to get red-faced over many things, but I do regret some of the things I said when I was younger.
"I can’t think of specifics, but I was hot-headed. I have been a bit of an a*** and that can have a negative impact on your career. I’ve had people think they don’t want to work with me because they assume I’m difficult."
Brendan last appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 after the BBC did not renew his contract, citing an "editorial decision", in January 2018.
He then swapped his dance shoes for skates in 2022 when he took part in the now-shelved Dancing on Ice.
Choreographer-and-singer Jason Gardiner, 54, was known for his harsh critique as a judge on the ITV skating competition from 2006 until 2019, on and off.
And Brendan thinks he was "too nasty in the way he delivered his critique".
Brendan added: "But having said that, that’s what the show had been missing.
"It needed more spice, and I would have loved some interesting critique to push me. Every time I walked over to the judges, I had the hope of nothing but high praise, but I also wanted a little bit of critique so that I could go forward and put in place what they wanted to see.
"There’s no point in going out on the ice and being told you’re wonderful. You need constructive criticism to learn and improve."
And Brendan thinks he would have struggled with Jason's brutal critique of his and 29-year-old professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer’s performances.
He added: "That’s the issue with TV culture these days. Everything has to be nice. These shows have a duty of care, which is great, but I’m old school.
"Tell me I’m s*** and I’ll make myself better. I probably wouldn’t have liked Jason’s criticism at the time, but I would have hoped I’d have taken it on board and worked on being better."
