Brendan Cole has claimed that the choice of choreography is letting some of the celebrities down on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing.
It comes after contestants including Shayne Ward and JB Gill, who were considered as early contenders to lift the glitterball trophy, both found themselves in the dreaded dance off.
Speaking to The Standard on behalf of Sky Vegas, Cole - who served as a professional dancer on the hit BBC dance competition from from 2004 until 2018 - explained: "Looking at JB [Gill] and Punam [Krishan], in particular, it's the choreography and the technical aspect that's letting them [and other celebrities] down so maybe it's down to the pro [dancers].”
Meanwhile, Cole was full of praise for Wynne Evans and Katya Jones for bouncing back after facing a week from hell following “hand-gate”.
The opera singer and pro found themselves facing speculation about their relationship after she was seen removing his hand from her waist during the live show on October 12.
He later went to offer her a high-five, which she appeared to deliberately ignore and seemed stony faced.
While both apologised, saying the moment was a “joke” after a clip showing the incident was widely shared on social media, the backlash persisted, leaving Evans “heartbroken”.
Cole said: "[Wynne Evans and Katya Jones' number] was great. It was very entertaining and that's the beauty of Katya. She's just a phenomenal pro [dancer] on the show. She knows what she's doing, she knows how to do it - she understands what good choreography is.
“She understands what good technique is, and she's teaching it. Wynne and Katya have a great partnership. I really like what they do."
Meanwhile, Cole is set to bring to a close his 19-date dance spectacular Legends of the Dancefloor. this evening (October 23) at the Orchard West in Dartford, Kent.
He along with fellow Strictly alum Vincent Simone, Ian Waite, Pasha Kovalev and James Jordan have been strutting their stuff up and down the UK.
