Anastacia has opened up about her time on Strictly Come Dancing, revealing to The Mirror's 3am column that she is still in touch with a lot of the 2016 cast - though she no longer speaks to partner Brendan Cole. "We don’t have that kind of connection,” she told the publication. "It was just for the show." She also said that the former contestants still chat on their group Whatsapp, where they share pictures and arrange meet-ups. "We’re all completely connected," she added.
Anastacia danced with Brendan in the 2016 series
Sharing that she felt a stronger bond with her fellow contestants rather than her partner, the singer said: "Whether people connected with their partners... I think we connected as contestants in a way that may have been different that year." During the series, Anastacia reportedly fell out with Brendan after the rigorous training led to her painfully ripping her mastectomy scars.
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She opened up about the injury, too, adding: "It’s fabulous and back to normal now. I didn’t lose the boob, and that’s all I cared about!" Of Brendan's shock exit from the show, she admitted she hadn't spoken to him after the news broke. "I heard he was upset. I don’t really know what happened as I’m not really involved in that sort of situation. I heard it was a big to-do. I even heard it over in America."
The BBC show recently announced its new line-up of professional dancers - the biggest yet - revealing that latin star Chloe Hewitt will join Brendan in leaving the series. Louise Rainbow, who is executive producer on the show, said: "A huge thank you goes to Brendan from all of us for 15 amazing series of Strictly. We wish him all the very best with his future projects. We would also like to thank Chloe and wish her well."
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing's Chloe Hewitt breaks her silence after getting axed from the show