Shirley Ballas has responded to a former Strictly Come Dancing professional who appeared to be let go following a heated exchange with the head judge. Brendan Cole, who left the BBC dance programme in 2018 amid reports that he was "difficult to work with", previously hinted that a disagreement with Shirley might have contributed to his exit.
During an appearance on ITV's Lorraine at the time, the New Zealand ballroom dancer, who had been with the beloved show since its 2004 debut, revealed he was "in shock" at being dropped.
He stated that an "editorial decision" had been made not to bring him back, expressing that he felt "quite emotional and a bit raw about it" as well as "very disappointed".
In a separate interview with the Daily Mail, Brendan suggested he may have sealed his own fate when he used what was deemed a "patronising" remark after Shirley critiqued his performance with Good Morning Britain's Charlotte Hawkins.
He confessed uncertainty over whether the moment was "handled" appropriately on screen, insisting he "didn't get aggressive". He also mentioned his disagreement with her evaluation and that Bruno Tonioli had advised him to be "more respectful", reports the Mirror.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged regretting his use of the phrase, "I will, my dear", when she recommended he review footage of the tango. He explained: "The phrase 'my dear' is patronising and I certainly didn't mean to be. I'm not a patronising person."
He continued: "But I'd just done a dance live on air with Charlotte, who I really care about. You want the best for her. You want to stay in the show and you know you're vulnerable because you're certainly not one of the best couples."
Brendan further explained: "If I could work it out, I would. All I know is you can't put a foot wrong. You can't even dip a toe on the other side within that world because it will be taken, it will be run with, and before long you're in a s***storm."
Fast forward seven years, and Shirley retaliated in her 2025 book, Best Foot Forward, alleging that Brendan had shown doubt about her before she replaced former head judge Len Goodman.
In her book, Shirley recalled: "When [It Takes Two] host Zoe Ball asked him if all the pros were going to be 'desperate to impress' me, he pompously fired back that it was me who should be looking to impress them because they'd all been there much longer.
"That set the tone, and he paved the way to disaster from there."
She speculated that his comments might have stemmed from disappointment at not being selected for the role, as she believed he had auditioned for the position himself.
Shirley also claimed that Brendan was "trying anything and everything" to undermine her, culminating in the infamous "my dear" incident during the third week of the competition.