Brendan Cole slammed for suggesting face masks do not protect against Covid

Brendan Cole has come under fire for suggesting that wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of Covid has no effect.

The former Strictly Come Dancing professional, 44, was slammed for being ‘totally irresponsible’ after he shared an Instagram post on Thursday doubting the efficacy of wearing a mask.

He wrote: ‘The first randomised trial of more than 6000 individuals to assess the effectiveness of surgical face masks against SARS-CoV-2 infection did not statistically significantly reduce the incident of infection.’  

Controversial: Brendan Cole (pictured, April 2019) has come under fire from fans after suggesting that wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of Covid has no effect

To further emphasise his point, he penned below: ‘#Repost @drmercola with @get_repost.

‘The so-called ‘Danmask-19 Trial,’ published November 18, 2020, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, included 3,030 individuals assigned to wear a surgical face mask and 2,994 unmasked controls.’ 

Brendan’s fans, including medical professionals, were left fuming by his ‘c**p’ post and were quick to tell him they had unfollowed him.

Others urged the New Zealand-born ballroom dancer to delete his controversial message, claiming it was full of ‘misinformation’ and would ‘put others at risk’. 

Misinformation: The former Strictly pro, 44, was slammed as 'totally irresponsible' after he shared an Instagram post on Thursday doubting the efficacy of wearing a mask

Misinformation: The former Strictly pro, 44, was slammed as ‘totally irresponsible’ after he shared an Instagram post on Thursday doubting the efficacy of wearing a mask

Dr Joshua Wolrich claimed that Brendan had his facts mixed up and there was proof of the contrary, adding: ‘Think before you share c**p that fits what you want to believe otherwise you become directly responsible for people coming to harm. 

‘Do the right thing and delete this information.’

While one Scottish nurse echoed the doctor’s sentiments, angrily penning: ‘That is not what we need at the moment. Follow the bl***y guidance and wear to protect others.’

Another fan branded Brendan as ‘totally irresponsible’, writing: ‘I work in healthcare and have had patients refuse to wear masks because of this type of misinformation putting others at risk.’

Raging: His fans, including medical professionals, were left fuming by his 'c**p' post and were quick to tell Brendan they had unfollowed him

Raging: His fans, including medical professionals, were left fuming by his ‘c**p’ post and were quick to tell Brendan they had unfollowed him

More of his 88,000 followers told the TV star that they were ‘disappointed’ in his ‘selfish’ actions spreading ‘fake news’ and even told him to just ‘stick to dancing’. 

It is not the first time Brendan has voiced his controversial views on social media, as he previously took to Facebook to slam Covid-19 safety measures as ‘outrageous’.

He penned: ‘For the first time in recent history we are being controlled in so many ways. Why can we not protest? 

‘Why can we not have an opinion and discuss these differences of opinion openly without being silenced or called names. 

‘Why is there so much fear and hysteria being pumped down our airways when the numbers (often put is a certain way to look worse than they are) don’t reflect the outrageous measures being put in place. 

Selfish! More of his 88,000 followers told the TV star that they were 'disappointed' in his 'selfish' actions spreading 'fake news' and even told him to just 'stick to dancing'

Selfish! More of his 88,000 followers told the TV star that they were ‘disappointed’ in his ‘selfish’ actions spreading ‘fake news’ and even told him to just ‘stick to dancing’

‘I’m not saying it’s not dangerous and if you have been affected by it then I am truly sorry for you. 

‘However, other lives are important too and millions of lives and business’ are being ruined.’ 

His latest set of comments come after he criticised Strictly Come Dancing for axing Nicola Adams and her pro dance partner Katya Jones from the show.

MailOnline previously revealed that the former professional boxer, 38, and the Russian dancer, 31, were forced to pull out of Strictly after Katya contracted Covid.  

Talking about the decision on Good Morning Britain, Brendan questioned why Nicola couldn’t remain on the show after her partner tested positive.

He said: ‘I don’t really understand why Nicola can’t carry on through, if she gets a test and she’s not positive, she can carry on?’

To which presenter Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper is in hospital amid his battle with coronavirus, said: ‘I think there was some agreement if that happened they would have to step aside.’

In her exit statement, Nicola said that she had pulled out of the show to adhere to the show’s coronavirus safety measures and would isolate for 14 days after being in contact with Katya due to her positive test result.  

It's over! Brendan's latest set of comments come after he criticised Strictly Come Dancing for axing Nicola Adams and her pro dance partner Katya Jones from the show

It’s over! Brendan’s latest set of comments come after he criticised Strictly Come Dancing for axing Nicola Adams and her pro dance partner Katya Jones from the show