Len Goodman has opened up about Brendan Cole after he was axed from Strictly Come Dancing, defending the professional dancer for standing up for his celebrity dance partners. Speaking on Good Morning Britain about Brendan, Len said: "I always thought the pros should defend their celebrities. If you're not careful, you can come across as a bit of a bully, picking on people that can't defend themselves. So I think it's admirable to say, 'I can't agree with you on that'. Maybe he went a tad over the top with it, but no, I think it's good that the pros defend their partners." When Susanna Reid asked him if he thought Brendan was "too naughty", he replied: "I don't think he was."
© Photo: RexLen opened up about Brendan
Len admitted that he hasn't spoken to any of his former colleagues about the news, saying: "Listen, I've not spoken to Brendan, I've not spoken to Shirley [Ballas] and I've not spoken to the BBC about it. I only know what we all know. It's a bit like Putin, I don't think we'll ever know!" In an interview with the Daily Mail, Brendan previously said of his firing: "It was a very frank conversation," adding that producers had told him: "Listen Brendan, we'd like to thank you for your time on the show but we've taken an editorial decision that we won't be renewing your contract next year."
Speaking on Lorraine about the decision, he added: "It's quite hard to talk about. The BBC haven't renewed my contract. We get contracted year upon year. They've made an editorial decision to not have me back on the show. I'm a little bit in shock. I'm quite emotional, a bit raw about it. It's done via a process of a phone call and stuff. I have had 15 incredible series on the show. I'm very proud of the whole show. It's a great team. I'm disappointed. It's very hard to talk about. It's a recent decision."
READ: Strictly's Janette Manrara denies Brendan Cole axe was over Camilla dance
