BBC Strictly pro complains unsuspecting star should have gone home over Nick Knowles

Brendan Cole shared his thoughts on the recent dance-off, which saw Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk bid farewell to the BBC show. In a surprise twist, the DIY SOS presenter, 62, went up against Shayne Ward, 39, and his pro partner Nancy Xu, with the Strictly Come Dancing judges opting to save the latter from elimination.

The Strictly legend, who appeared on the beloved show between 2004 and 2017, explained that while Nick may have deserved to be in the bottom two, he was far from the "worst dancer".

Brendan admitted he would have sent Dr Punam Krishnan home in a savage dig.

The 48-year-old, who is currently working with , told Express: "No [Nick Knowles wasn't the right celebrity to send home]. Within the context of being in the bottom two, yes, but they weren't the worst. I wouldn't have sent him home over Punam [Krishan]."

After a show-stopping performance in week 3 of the competition, the Strictly contestant made history with the very first Bollywood routine.

Punam and her professional dance partner, Gorka Marquez, topped the leaderboard after impressing judges Anton du Beke, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel-Horwood.

However, things took a turn for the worse last week, as Punam found herself at the bottom of the scoreboard after failing to impress the judges with her colourful routine on Saturday night.

"That Bollywood routine gave her [Punam Krishan] a couple of weeks grace, because there's no way that dance last night was good enough to stay in much longer. It should have been going home time, but it's given her that little reprieve," Brendan explained.

"I have no doubt that the weekend would have knocked her confidence. She forgot half the routine. That's not a good place to be after working on a dance for six days."

Nick has since addressed his exit on social media today (October 15) and told fans: "An unforgettable @bbcstrictly journey!

"We've laughed, worked hard, and made memories to last a lifetime. Thanks to everyone who had our backs along the way - we couldn't have done it without."

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 7.20pm