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Strictly star Amy Dowden has been praised for her “iconic” clapback after ex-Strictly dancer Brendan Cole claimed she was “not up to” the challenge of the show.

Dowden, who has previously spoken openly about being treated for breast cancer, was the first professional to be eliminated in the 2026 series, with her celebrity partner Chris Appleton.

“To be a pro on Strictly is a big job and one has to be up to the challenge,” Cole reportedly told Sky Vegas, adding: “Amy has not been up to the challenge, in my opinion.”

Rather than a direct response, Dowden posted a video on her social media which has been praised as a “perfect” reaction by viewers and some of her fellow Strictly professionals.

Miming the opening line from Mariah Carey’s track Obsessed, Dowden can be seen blowing a kiss at the camera, adding: “Why are you so obsessed with me?”

“If you know, you know”, a cryptic caption read, along with hashtags reading “be kind” and “in a world where you can be anything, be kind”.

Cole’s criticism of Dowden’s performance continued: “I don’t think Amy’s been doing a very good job for the last few years and she’s been out first for the last few years. One can do the maths on that.”

He also claimed he could see Dowden “counting in” her partners, a sign to him that the “job has not been done”.

Dowden’s post prompted followers to jump to her defence, as fans applauded the Caerphilly-born dancer’s response, with many leaving words of encouragement, telling Dowden to “keep being you”.

Current and former Strictly stars also showed their support, including Aljaž Škorjanec, Dianne Buswell, Kevin Clifton and Carlos Gu, who replied “iconic as always”.

Appleton added: “Love you.”

Presenter and journalist Stacey Dooley left gold medal emojis under her post, while previous Strictly cast member and actress, Sarah Hadland, commented “beautiful inside and out”.