So its OK for Brenden to publicly slag off Victoria's dancing and performance ability but Victoria cannot defend herself, we are not living in the dark ages any more, women have been liberated and do have the vote now you know, they do not have to suffer in silence any more and quite rightly so.

Well she's gone now, she was correctly marked and criticised by the judges - the same judges who are still ridiculously overmarking Lisa. If anyone is being treated with kid gloves it's Miss Riley.

Why bring Lisa into this?

There was someone else who walked out, but I can't remember who right now. And you do realise that the VTs are about 3 minutes out of 20 or so hours of training. This wasn't really a walk-out though and did not follow an argument, more a civilised discussion - there was no slamming of doors or angry words. If anything Brendan seemed rather sad and defeated about the situation and as he said to her before she left - she had complained about part of the routine - he changed it to something easier and she still complained because it was different to what she had learned already - obviously. That is why she apologised to him about it.
The pros have a really tough job and I think that although they did get on, Victoria was quite tiring - but they still had fun most of the time.

I do realize that the VT's are very short and that we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg of poor Victoria's plight.

I still don't understand why its OK for Brenden to publicly slag off Victoria's dancing and performance ability but she is not allowed to defend herself

Did Victoria say it was traumatic? Because really how anyone can label her experience as a trauma is just ridiculous.

I tend not to always believe what I read, which is often made up of off-the-cuff comments at social events - as Victoria's seems to be. At the elimination and ITT the following day, they were both very complimentary about each other. What Victoria says doesn't really make sense anyway - she says the dancers are the stars and Brendan has a chip on his shoulder about it.
I am sure they will put the record straight - and Brendan wasn't saying anything negative or untrue - he was only repeating what Victoria has been saying on a daily basis since week 1, but that he has always said he loved working with her.
She was criticising him as a person - that is different, but I think she was misquoted or it was taken out of context.

Awww... why are you misspelling "iceberg"? What has the poor ickle iceberg done?

We shouldn't pay too much attention to the VTs, they'll be edited to present whatever perception of the contestants the BBC want to give the viewers.

It was noticeable in the series when Emma Bunton was to sing her charity single on CIN night, in the training clips shown in the few weeks leading up to it, you'd think she was the Christmas Fairy or Mother Teresa the way she was projected.

All sweetness and light at every training session. It was the BBC's way of trying to keep her in the competition until after CIN night. They even had the pros dancing to the track.


Of course it all stopped immediately after CIN.

Brenden was criticizng Victoria as a person, and insulting her ability, I maintain that Victoria should be entitled to defend herself when she is personally attacked.

Use the word "detest" if you wish, but it's hard to take a person seriously who "detests" somebody they've never met.

I did see the interview. In fact, I've just watched it again on the BBC website and you're talking nonsense. You dislike her, fine but please stop making things up.

In the interview after the relegation she said:

"It's not Jess' fault. I't's not my fault. We're both partly to blame really..."

"We were probably both a bit too overwhelmed by the whole thing... a bit too excited about our ride and just a bit too eager. We should have just kept a lid on it a bit more.."

Victoria was taking far more of the blame that she needed to. The error was Jess' and in truth it's pretty unlikely that Victoria was overwhelmed; she was saying "we" rather than "Jess" to take the heat off her. She was taking responsibilty as the senior partner even though it was Jess who messed up, What more do you want? How much more generous and dilpomatic must she have been? You do realise she was devestated too, right? That giving that interview would have been really difficult? But that she still tried to say encouraging things about Jess; "She's going to smash Rio!" and was by no means just feeling sorry for herself.

Jess and Victoria are still good very friends. Jess was in the Strictly crowd during the quickstep week supporting Victoria. If she isn't in the least offended by this imaginary slight, why should you be?

He wasn't - he said she wasn't a natural dancer, which she wasn't.
I do, however, think she said the truth in that in every show she asked herself what she was doing there and wanted to go home. That was is how it came across when she was dancing and was an attitude that was ultimately her downfall and that was what Bendan was trying to get her to overcome - he was often heard in the VTs telling her to just go for it, just for 90 seconds. She couldn't manage it, and that made so much difference to her performance.

I thought her exit and that BBC clip I posted had drawn a line under Victoria for many, seems not.I thought she was a decent sort, ok a bit wobbly physically and mentally, but all humans have flaws, including her detractors. Mind you it amuses me seeing some of who are "leaping to her defence," ie those who decry others for doing similar.

If you read the article Victoria doesn't say she blames Brendan, that's what the reporter said.

Her actual words about him were pretty neutral.

I admire your efforts Liz but talking to that particular poster is like talking to a brick wall, sadly.

This.

True, shame on the newspaper . She's not saying anything that most of us already knew.

Mr Cole is an attention seeker, which is obvious . I've never rated Brendan as a good teacher, too self absorbed. Great dancer yes.
Victoria didn't have any connection with him which again was obvious.
You could tell she was not enjoying the SCD experience .

Why don't we just watch their Twitter feeds. Brendan has no problem expressing his annoyance at something on there and she's used to having to put right the media for most of her career so maybe they'll both have something on there to say regarding these comments. Or better. why doesn't someone that has a Twitter account ask both of them if this article was true and if anything was misquoted. Better yet, just ask them if they like each other, Brendan will truthfully say yes or no I'm sure.

Good idea. The truth is out there...somewhere.

Victoria is prepared to rock the boat it seems. I wonder if Brendan will now mouth off about her.

What your basically saying is that the suffrogettes suffered in vain and wasted their time chaining themselves to that railing as did all the women who burnt their bra's because Lord Brenden's word is sacrosanct and cannot be challenged.

You are saying that Lord Brenden can publicly state that Victoria has a lack of dance ability, is not a dancer or performer and can dictate what career path Victoria is or is not suited too and Victoria has to suffer in silence with no right to reply or speak the truth, we really are back in the dark ages if we follow your mantra.

Brenden was the first to speak out not Victoria.

Victoria deserves the right to reply and defend herself with the truth.

Victoria always speaks the truth, she is very genuine and honest.

But is she too honest for her own good ?

Perhaps, but that is a good quality, if only everyone was as honest as Victoria the world would be a much better place to live in.