'Strictly Come Dancing': Karen Clifton 'Scapegoated' Over Will Young Exit, Says Brendan Cole

Brendan Cole has jumped to the defence of his fellow ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional Karen Clifton, after various media outlets suggested she’d rowed with Will Young, prompting him to walk away from the show.

The ballroom expert has even gone as far as suggesting that Karen has been “scapegoated” by the press, following Will’s shock departure from the show last week.

Addressing Will’s exit, for which he cited “personal reasons” as the basis of his decision, Brendan writes: “It’s never a nice situation when someone leaves the competition. I don’t know what Will’s personal circumstances are – all I’ve heard is that due to personal reasons he’s left the show.

“And that’s really sad because you don’t want to see somebody having to go through the show and then be dealing with something on a personal level that we don’t know about. We can all speculate... I think most people have!”

He continues: “What really disappoints me is that the media will use Karen as the scapegoat and say he was being pushed too hard by her.

“That’s what I read last week and I was very disappointed to see that because obviously he’s going through some stuff in his own personal life and he didn’t really want to be in the show – it’s a big show and it takes over your whole life.

“Karen’s such a phenomenal teacher and she’s extremely easy-going and I think they got along fantastically. Certainly on set they were hanging out all the time, they were laughing and joking.

“It’s not for us to comment on, I suppose that’s the main thing. Whatever’s happening, that’s to do with him. But obviously I want to make sure Karen’s looked after because she’s one of the good ones, in terms of the pros. I really love what she does and how she behaves.”

Karen was among the first stars to speak out when Will announced he was stepping down from ‘Strictly’, tweeting at the time: “It was great dancing with him, he was such fun to work with and I wish him all the very best for the future.”

Similarly, Will said in his departing statement: “I have found a creative partnership with Karen that has been the most wonderful thing to experience.

“I will be eternally grateful to her for her direction, talent and guiding me through three wonderful dances that I will be able to show my grandkids in years to come.”

Since then, ‘Strictly’ judge Darcey Bussell has admitted she was “horrified” to learn that Will would not be returning to the show, as she felt he could have made it all the way to the final.

Read Brendan’s full Digital Spy column here.