Brendan Cole has admitted he felt Strictly Come Dancing “only wanted to show one side” of him during his time as a professional dancer on the show.
The New Zealand-born dancer was one of Strictly’s original professionals, winning the very first series back in 2004 alongside celebrity partner Natasha Kaplisnky.
He remained with Strictly until 2017, during which time he developed something of a reputation among fans for not always seeing eye to eye with the judges – or his celebrity partners.
Brendan is currently gearing up for the Dancing On Ice final, where he’s one of three celebrities in the running to win this year’s series.
Speaking to the Mail Online ahead of his performances in the finale, he admitted he specifically came on Dancing On Ice “hoping to show another side” of his personality.
“Strictly only wanted to show one side to me, and they really pushed that side of me,” he claimed. “There was very much a narrative that the show went with for 15 series. And it was tiring because it was actually not me.”
He continued: “As you can see [on Dancing On Ice] I like a bit of fun. I muck around a lot and that wasn’t shown very often and I think it has been shown more on this show. “
A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing had no comment when contacted by HuffPost UK.
At the time of his Strictly exit, Brendan admitted he was “disappointed” by the BBC’s decision, explaining: “It’s very hard to talk about. It’s a recent decision.
“I’ve always known this day would come. To get to this point, the BBC make the decisions year upon year. It’s an editorial decision. I’m sure I’ll never know the ins and outs. I’m a very strong character within the show, I have my strong views.”
He later claimed that an on-screen disagreement with Shirley Ballas could have been a factor in him not being invited to return, and expressed his regret over referring to the Head Judge as “my dear” following her critiques of his performance.
The Dancing On Ice final airs on Sunday night on ITV.