Len Goodman thinks it was "admirable" the way Brendan Cole spoke out against the 'Strictly Come Dancing' judges.

Len Goodman

Len Goodman

The 73-year-old dance expert - who was head judge on the show until 2016 - has spoken out to defend the ousted professional, insisting he was right to object if he disagreed with comments from the panel.

Asked if he ever thought Brendan - one of the show's original pros - was "too naughty" or "too tricky", he told 'Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid: "I don't think he was.

"I always thought the pros should defend their celebrities. If you're not careful, you can come across as a bit of a bully, picking on people that can't defend themselves.

"So I think it's admirable to say, 'I can't agree with you on that'. Maybe he went a tad over the top with it, but no, I think it's good that the pros defend their partners."

And despite his former heavy involvement in the show, Len insists he has no idea why 42-year-old Brendan was asked - and doesn't think it will ever be public knowledge.

He said: "Listen, I've not spoken to Brendan, I've not spoken to Shirley [Ballas] and I've not spoken to the BBC about it.

"I only know what we all know. It's a bit like Putin, I don't think we'll ever know!"

Len's replacement on the show, Shirley Ballas, received a mixed response from fans and critics but he thinks she did a "terrific" job.

He said: "I thought she did a terrific job. It's always difficult to step in somebody else's [shoes] - whoever they are, I'm not saying [the reaction was] because it was me. But it's tricky.

"But, you know, she went her own way, she became her own person. I thought a lot of her comments were good and useful to people. I thought she did OK."

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