Olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton has insisted that Brendan Cole, her partner on Strictly Come Dancing, is not as harsh as others have made him out to be.
The 32-year-old cyclist, who is appearing on the BBC One show after her success at London 2012, has claimed that Cole's teaching is "gentle" compared to her training.
"Everyone said, 'Oh, he's a taskmaster'," the London Evening Standard quotes Pendleton as saying. "Compared with the kind of coaching I've experienced over my lifetime, he's a pussycat.
"He says, 'You've got to step through faster, faster'. And I'm thinking, is that all you've got Brendan? Come on! His kind of coaching doesn't seem that severe to me. In fact, it's quite gentle."
Pendleton, as well as Olympic silver and bronze medallist Louis Smith, will take to the ballroom on Friday.
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