Brendan Cole has wowed viewers as a front-runner on this year's Dancing on Ice but what was the real reason he left Strictly Come Dancing, the show that catapulted him to fame?RELATED: What does Dancing on Ice's Brendan Cole do for work? The former Strictly star first joined the show in 2003 and quickly became a fan favourite, which made it even more shocking when viewers were told in 2018 that the talented dancer wouldn't be returning to the prime-time show. WATCH: The Strictly Come Dancing champions reveal the impressive ritual they do before heading on stageSpeaking on Lorraine at the time, Brendan addressed the shock departure: "This is actually quite hard to talk about. "Well, the BBC haven’t renewed my contract, we get contracted year upon year.READ: Dancing on Ice star Brendan Cole reveals the time he bravely broke royal protocolMORE: Dancing on Ice's Brendan Cole appeared on another reality TV show - and it wasn't Strictly"They've just made an editorial decision to not have me back on the show.