Strictly’s Katya and Neil Jones discuss friendship after split

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole has admitted he wouldn’t “have stuck around” if he wasn’t paired with a celebrity partner on the show.

The professional dancer’s views come after his former co-stars Neil Jones and Nadiya Bychkova were both snubbed of a partner this year.

Speaking on behalf of Sky Bingo, Brendan stated: “Thankfully I was never in that situation [of not having a dance partner] – if I had been in that situation, I probably wouldn’t have stuck around.

“For me, it’s not something that’s necessary for Strictly, I don’t understand why they do it.”

He continued: “You gain respect from people by giving them security and giving them a passion about their jobs, so for me, it’s not the way I would behave but, it’s a big show, they’ve got a lot to deal with.”

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“If you’re going to hire people, hire them,” Brendan added.

“If you’re not, don’t hire them but to leave people in limbo and have them on a string – we say jump and you say how high – is not the way you do business in my world.”

Speaking about his friendship with both Neil and Nadiya, the dancer shared: “They’re both phenomenal dancers and both very good friends of mine.

“They’re two of the people I’m closest with on the show, so for me it’s a shame I don’t get to see them doing their thing, because they are phenomenally talented people.”

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TThe 2023 series is the second year in a row where Neil failed to be paired with a celebrity.

In 2021, the dancer was partnered with actress Nina Wadia.

However, this will be the first time Nadiya hasn’t had a celebrity partner because last year, she teamed up with Matt Goss and the year before that it was Dan Walker.

The professional dancer, who is dating fellow Strictly star Kai Widdrington, has expressed her disappointment over the snub.

She wrote on Instagram: “Life doesn’t always go the way we want it to but the people we come across can make a big difference to our perspective, our mindset and the way we face the next day.

“Your kindness, love and care has really lifted my spirit and my soul so ‘THANK YOU’ from the bottom of my heart.”

Strictly Come Dancing airs at 6.15pm on BBC One.

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