Camilla Dallerup has spoken of the heartbreak she suffered following the end of her engagement to fellow Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole. In her new book – part autobiography, part self-help manual – the 40-year-old talks openly about the end of her romance with Brendan, which played out in full view of the British public. Camilla and Brendan both took part in the first series of Strictly in 2004, and rumours of a romance between Brendan and his celebrity partner Natasha Kaplinsky soon started to make headlines.
Camilla Dallerup described her split from Brendan Cole as "like a mini death"
The pretty blonde said it took her three years to get over the end of the relationship. "It was like a mini death," she said. "You go through the arc of grief, anger, bitterness. My best friend and dancing professionally with Brendan had both gone. That felt pretty scary. It seemed like everything I'd ever wanted and worked for had been removed, just like that." In the book, Camilla does not refer to Natasha by name. "That was a deliberate decision," she told the Daily Mail. "First of all, this is not a kiss 'n' tell book. It's a book for anyone going through a hideous time: they might be being teased at school, being bullied at work…
Brendan Cole and Natasha Kaplinsky
"Brendan and I had a past. We'll have a future. And Natasha is a wife and mother now. I'm totally fine with her. What happened, happened. It could have been anybody. Anyway, it would be very hard to carry on if I didn't forgive," she added. "Show business is a small world and you keep meeting the same people." Camilla has moved on; she is now happily married to Hollyoaks actor Kevin Sacre. The couple tied the knot in Ibiza in July 2010 – their wedding featured exclusively in HELLO! magazine – and now live together in Walton-on-Thames.
Camilla Dallerup has been happily married to Kevin Sacre since July 2010
Brendan, meanwhile, has a two-year-old daughter Aurelia with his model wife Zoe Hobbs. He recently responded to earlier comments Camilla had made about their relationship, saying, "It's nothing really new to me. It was a long time ago. I'm happily married with a child, so is she, she's a married woman. I live now, not ten years ago."