Amy Dowden Responds to Criticism of Her Strictly Come Dancing Skills

Professional dancer Amy Dowden has been praised for her response to criticism from fellow dancer Brendan Cole regarding her skills on the BBC show "Strictly Come Dancing." Dowden, 36, was eliminated from the competition with her celebrity partner, hairdresser Chris Appleton, 43, during a recent dance-off.

Following their exit, Cole stated in an interview that he felt Dowden "hasn't been up to the challenge" of training a celebrity, despite her return to the show after a battle with cancer. He commented that her performance in recent years and early eliminations indicated she had not been doing a good job, suggesting she was counting steps for her partners.

Dowden addressed Cole's remarks in an Instagram video posted just before a live show. In the video, filmed in her dressing room, she is seen wearing a silver dress and mouthing lyrics to Mariah Carey's song "Obsessed," including the line, "Why are you so obsessed with me?" She captioned the post with "If you know, you know #bekind #inaworldyoucanbeanythingbekind."

The dancer's response was met with widespread support from viewers in the comments section of her post, who called her response "perfect" and "iconic," expressing their love and support for her.

Amy Dowden was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in May 2023 and underwent treatment, missing part of that year's "Strictly" season. She returned for the 2024 series. In February 2024, she announced she was cancer-free, though she continues with a five-year recovery plan involving regular check-ups and treatments. Dowden had previously withdrawn from the 2024 series halfway through due to illness after being paired with JB Gill. In the previous year, she was partnered with Thomas Skinner, and they were the first to be eliminated. Her most recent elimination was with Chris Appleton after a dance-off against Jaime Winstone and her partner Carlos Gu.