About the participants
Camilla DALLERUP was born in Aalborg, Denmark. Her mother took her to her first dance classes when she was just two years old. Her mother loved dancing and thought it would give Camilla good posture and teach her to be well mannered. Camilla says: "I suppose right at the beginning I was just like any other kid who wanted to be outside playing instead of going dancing, that was until the day my mum said: ‘Ok fine no more dancing’… I was then hooked because now it was my choice." She competed with her first male dance partner in Denmark for 7 years, entering her first competition with him when she was 6. Whilst Camilla was training during her teens and early twenties, she also studied law and finance. Camilla DALLERUP moved to the UK in 1996. She has competed in all 4 UK series of Strictly Come Dancing, placing 7th, 5th, 4th & 8th. Camilla has also danced professionally with Ian Waite, and they have been semi-finalists twice in the International Championships.
Brendan COLE was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1976 and lives his life as British citizen these days. He began to learn Ballroom & Latin American Dance from the age of 6. Initially he had to be dragged to classes kicking and screaming, but Ballroom dancing became his passion and he became New Zealand Juvenile, Junior and Youth Champion. He left school at 17 and worked as a builder for a year, whilst still keeping up his dancing. After visiting Europe to compete, Brendan moved to London in 1995. One year on he met Camilla DALLERUP. Brendan won the first UK series of Strictly Come Dancing, and has taken part each year since, placing 6th, 9th, and 6th. He has also been a judge on New Zealand’s Dancing With The Stars.
Camilla & Brendan met in 1996, becoming both amateur dance partners, and a couple. In 2000 they turned professional and, though based in the UK, competed for New Zealand, becoming Asia Pacific Professional Champions in Latin American dance. They also reached the semi-finals of the International & World Championships, and won the British Open Championships. In 2004 they competed in the first UK series of Strictly Come Dancing. Despite living and dancing together for over nine years, tensions during the first season of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing caused the pair to separate both on the dance floor and as partners. For the first time since their split three years ago, Camilla and Brendan will dance together one last time as the UK entrants for the first ever Eurovision Dance Contest. •
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