During his time on Strictly Come Dancing, Brendan Cole locked horns with judge Craig Revel Horwood on various occasions. But last week, the pair proved their friendship is still very much intact after they were reunited with a colleague from the New Zealand version of Dancing with the Stars. Brendan, 43, reposted a photo of the reunion on his Instagram page, and wrote: "A gorgeous and unexpected day this week with gorgeous friends. A little lunch date at my favourite TV judge's house."
The post came two days after the first live show of this year's Strictly aired - and many of Brendan's followers were quick to say how much they miss him. "Strictly has lost the best male pro dancer they should ask you back Brendan miss you so much xx," wrote one fan, while another remarked: "Strictly is definitely lacking your presence." A third follower agreed, saying: "Yep agree! Was just thinking that when New series started, bring back Brendan...he is missed so much!"
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Last year, Craig had some firm words for the former professional dancer, telling Daily Mail that "Strictly will be better without Brendan." He went on to say - presumably about Brendan's reaction to his axing - "More fool him. The show's done him wonders. It's done us all wonders. It's been fantastic. I would never complain about it. It’s given us all platforms on which to stand."
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He added: "How many dancers in their life get a job that will last 15 years? Not many. Be grateful." Brendan and Craig notably had plenty of disagreements during their time together working on Strictly. In 2017, Craig criticised the dancer for breaking the rules on the show while partnering ITV presenter Charlotte Hawkins. "Brendan, of course, on Saturday night did do another illegal lift but then he’s famous for going against the rules in that way," Craig had told Claudia Winkleman during one of the results shows.
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