Strictly was FIXED to make me look like a competitive bad boy but Dancing on Ice revealed the real me, says Brendan Cole

HE has a reputation for pushing his Strictly dance partners to the brink because of his fierce competitiveness - causing fiery rows backstage.

But Brendan Cole, 45, insists this bad boy image was manipulated by BBC bosses - who only showed one side of him for 15 years.

The professional dancer signed up to rival channel ITV to star in this year’s Dancing on Ice series and now has a one in three chance of taking home the trophy in this Sunday’s final.

He says the show has given him the chance to reveal “the real me” - as he blasted the “tiring” character he was forced to play for Strictly chiefs.

Brendan said: "I came on Dancing on Ice hoping to show people that Strictly only showed one side of me. They pushed that narrative for 15 series and it was tiring.

"That's actually not me. I muck around a lot and that wasn't shown - but it is being shown on Dancing on Ice. We’ve all been shown in really lovely lights.

“I'm not fiercely competitive. I'm competitive with myself. If I get something wrong or do something that's not where I can be then I'm immensely peed off with myself.

"If I win or lose it doesn't matter - but it is nice to win don't get me wrong.

“This show has been a really wonderful experience to be a part of and enjoy.”

He won Strictly’s first ever series with Natasha Kaplinsky in 2004.

On Sunday he will battle it out against Pussycat Dolls star Kimberly Wyatt, and dancer Regan Gascoigne live in a bid to be crowned a champion both on and off the ice.

But Brendan reckons hapless Bez was one of his greatest rivals.

He knew the Happy Mondays legend would win the public vote — and insists he was not as bad as his performances on the night suggested.

Brendan, 45, said: “At first you’re going, ‘Yeah, OK Bez’, but on the practice rink he was actually doing some incredible stuff.

“You go, ‘Bloody hell, Bez!’ but then quite often in the live show it didn’t quite go to plan for him.

“He was actually quite good at certain things at certain times.”

Fellow showbiz pros who make up the final three, also admit they felt threatened by 57-year-old Bez.

He remained in the competition long after steadier skaters such as Ben Fogle and Rachel Stevens departed, and while he wasn’t too hot on the ice, viewers loved his madcap routines.

At the same time Brendan, Regan and Kimberly dominated the scoreboard, leading to claims that the show was “fixed” for the three expert dancers to win.

But Brendan reckons Dancing On Ice would suffer without competitors with the full range of abilities.