Brendan Cole has jumped to the defence of his fellow ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional Karen Clifton, after various media outlets suggested she’d rowed with Will Young, prompting him to walk away from the show.
The ballroom expert has even gone as far as suggesting that Karen has been “scapegoated” by the press, following Will’s shock departure from the show last week.
![Brendan Cole](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5804cf98170000bc16acc5f8.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Addressing Will’s exit, for which he cited “personal reasons” as the basis of his decision, Brendan writes: “It’s never a nice situation when someone leaves the competition. I don’t know what Will’s personal circumstances are – all I’ve heard is that due to personal reasons he’s left the show.
![Will Young and Karen Clifton during their final routine](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5804d16b1a000067145b9e55.jpeg?cache=otdlleW54W&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
He continues: “What really disappoints me is that the media will use Karen as the scapegoat and say he was being pushed too hard by her.
![No, we're quite honestly not sure what's going on here either](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5804d2091a00008f205b9e56.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Karen was among the first stars to speak out when Will announced he was stepping down from ‘Strictly’, tweeting at the time: “It was great dancing with him, he was such fun to work with and I wish him all the very best for the future.”
Similarly, Will said in his departing statement: “I have found a creative partnership with Karen that has been the most wonderful thing to experience.
“I will be eternally grateful to her for her direction, talent and guiding me through three wonderful dances that I will be able to show my grandkids in years to come.”
Since then, ‘Strictly’ judge Darcey Bussell has admitted she was “horrified” to learn that Will would not be returning to the show, as she felt he could have made it all the way to the final.
Read Brendan’s full Digital Spy column here.