Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole ripped into this year’s celebrity line-up as he described himself as a “bitter old pro”.
On Saturday, the popular BBC show made its return to our screens with a brand new trio of hosts, after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down from their roles at the end of the year.
The launch show saw an array of stars, ranging from EastEnders’ Lacey Turner to Australian singer Delta Goodrem, paired with their professional dancers ahead of the first live show earlier this week.
However, Cole has been left unimpressed with this year’s batch of stars, many of whom he said he did not recognise at all.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Monday, September 21, the New Zealand ballroom dancer said: “It’s hard to know them if you’re here [in the UK] because I don’t think there are many, many recognisable names on the show.
“And I certainly didn’t know them. I’m not a massive television watcher.”
He continued: “I don’t think it’s like it was. I sound like a bitter old pro, I probably am.
“But it didn’t seem like it had that real ‘ooh this is going to be exciting’.”
Host Kate Garraway conceded that perhaps BBC producers have cast this series with a younger audience in mind.
Fellow former pro James Jordan agreed with Garraway, arguing that the show is such a “juggernaut” that it will always be entertaining, regardless of the cast.
He said: “I think whatever celebrities you have on there, we grow to love them over the week.
“And the show is such a great format and it just works. Whoever you have on there, even if it was nonsense, the show will still work because it's brilliant.”
“It’s a great show,” Cole conceded.
Cole and Jordan were joined by former professional dancers Pasha Kovalev, Ian Waite and Vincent Simone on the Good Morning Britain sofa as they discussed the new era of the reality competition.
Here is the list of this year’s celebrity cast in full:
Lacey Turner - EastEnders star
Dani Dyer - Love Island winner and daughter of actor Danny Dyer
Delta Goodrem - Australian singer
Chris Appleton - Celebrity hairstylist
Cach Mercer - Love Island winner and content creator
Will Best - Presenter
Dame Sarah Storey - Paralympic cyclist and swimmer
Jaime Winstone - Actor and daughter of Ray Winstone
Bethany Antonia - House of the Dragon star
Shaun Wright-Phillips - Former footballer and pundit
Graeme Hall - Dogs Behaving Badly host
Lawrence Robb - Emmerdale star
Tabby Stoecker - Skeleton racer
John Nellis - YouTuber
Melanie Walters - Gavin and Stacey star
