Brendan Cole: why did he leave Strictly Come Dancing?

hellomagazine.com:

Brendan Cole has wowed viewers as a front-runner on this year's Dancing on Ice but what was the real reason he left Strictly Come Dancing, the show that catapulted him to fame?RELATED: What does Dancing on Ice's Brendan Cole do for work?

The former Strictly star first joined the show in 2003 and quickly became a fan favourite, which made it even more shocking when viewers were told in 2018 that the talented dancer wouldn't be returning to the prime-time show.

WATCH: The Strictly Come Dancing champions reveal the impressive ritual they do before heading on stageSpeaking on Lorraine at the time, Brendan addressed the shock departure: "This is actually quite hard to talk about. "Well, the BBC haven’t renewed my contract, we get contracted year upon year.READ: Dancing on Ice star Brendan Cole reveals the time he bravely broke royal protocolMORE: Dancing on Ice's Brendan Cole appeared on another reality TV show - and it wasn't Strictly"They've just made an editorial decision to not have me back on the show. "I'm a little bit in shock at the moment, I'm quite emotional and a bit raw about it."He added: "I've always known this day will come" but was still thrown by the BBC's choice not to bring him back.

Brendan telling Lorraine about his devastating departureIn the interview with Lorraine, Brendan also acknowledged that he is "a very strong character within the show" and there was a lot of speculation at the time about his on-screen feud with colleague Shirley Ballas.However, regarding Brendan's departure, Heart reported that Shirley said: "I've known Brendan Cole for a long time, I have a lot of respect for him, I think he's an amazing dancer."I think he's added a lot to the show and done very well with his students."I'm just.