Jo Wood & Brendan Cole: Video and bios of the Strictly contestants

Jo and Brendan

Jo's progress

Week 6: Samba - 14 / 40. Jo and Brendan were then in the dance-off with Jade Johnson and Ian Waite. They were not saved by the judges and therefore left the competition.
Week 5: Viennese waltz - 23 / 40
Week 4: Foxtrot - 20 / 40
Week 3: Paso Doble - 20 / 40
Week 2 - Show 2: Rumba - 18 / 40
Week 2 - Show 1: Tango - 18 / 40

View our weekly scoreboards gallery to see where Jo was placed.

Join our Message Board to talk about Jo's journey.

Read our News Story to find out what Jo said on her departure from Strictly in week 6.

Watch clips

Week 6: Judges' comments

High point

"(Brendan) What you’ve done with Jo is little more that fantastic."

Low point

"You dragged poor Brendan into Samba hell."

Jo Wood

The coolest grandmother in rock and roll, the radiant and effervescent Jo Wood was a major player in the rowdy Rolling Stones circus for three decades and yet survived unscathed to tell the tale.

She has transcended her hedonistic past to become a glamorous green queen, with a hugely successful eco-empire to boot. These days everybody wants a little piece of the Jo Wood magic!

Jo describes her mum as being Strictly’s biggest fan and is most keen not to let her down her when she dances on the show.

"I love a good challenge and thought this is perhaps as challenging as it gets!

Oh I’m in it to win it, definitely!

Jo Wood

Jo was bought up in Essex. Her father was an architectural model maker and her mother was an Avon lady and a doll maker. Greatly influenced by the swinging sixties, Jo threw herself into a successful modelling career, becoming The Sun’s ‘Face of 1972’.

Jo had her first son Jamie, at the age of 18 and continued to work as a model until she was 22 when she met her future husband, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. She became the voice of sanity and style on the Rolling Stones tours for many years, looking after her husband’s wardrobe, diet and diary for over 30 years.

Jo has 6 grandchildren; her most recent was born to daughter Leah this year in May.

After being taken seriously ill in 1989, Jo began to follow a strict organic lifestyle. Her passion and enthusiasm are obviously infectious as she’s managed to convert her family and friends. In 2003, after failing to find acceptable organic skincare products, Jo decided to make them herself and launched her own range of products.

Brendan Cole

Brendan is 33 and 6’0”. He danced with Camilla Dallerup for 8 years, turning professional in 2000. Brendan no longer competes. His speciality is Latin American.

Brendan grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand. He lived with his mum, his older brother Scott (who teaches dance in London) and his younger sister Vanessa (who runs a dance school in New Zealand).

It wasn’t until he was past his “gangly, awkward” teenage years that he started to like Latin American dancing. At 18 he decided it was time to take the plunge and come to the UK, find a new partner and learn from the best teachers in the world. It took him a year to find a partner because he was so fussy. He tried out with lots of girls but none of them were right.

In 1996 he met Camilla Dallerup and they were to become a couple both on and off the dance floor for the next eight years. After four years competing together as amateurs they were offered the chance to teach in Hong Kong, which they took and turned professional.