Fans of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing have called for controversial reality TV star Thomas Skinner have called for the former Apprentice star to be axed from the upcoming series
Strictly Come Dancing fans have called for Thomas Skinner to be axed from the 2025 series after he stormed out of an interview on Tuesday before snatching a reporter’s phone.
The Apprentice star told reporters ‘I’m not doing this’ before he stormed out of a roundtable interview with several journalists at the BBC’s Elstree Studios on Tuesday. The former reality star, 34, best known for his social media output these days, grabbed a reporter’s phone as they asked him to stop.
It came just a few short hours after Skinner told his followers on X he “can’t be bought” and “won’t say things just to keep people happy”.
Skinner has been a controversial signing for this year’s series of the BBC series. The dad-of-three has drawn strong criticism for Twitter (X) posts saying it is “not far-right” to be “flying your flag and loving your country”, and complaining “it ain’t safe out there any more” in London, saying the city is “hostile” and “tense”.
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The divisive figure had taken issue with a reporter recording an interview, a common practise, during the big Strictly Come Dancing press day.
He had arrived at the table alongside fellow contestant, former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was left having to do interviews on his own after Skinner decided to storm out of the room.
“He walked to the table with his head down, he sat down, grabbed one of the reporters phones, who told him to stop,” an insider at the event has told the Mirror. “It was a shock. His reaction came out of nowhere.”
Another source told us: “It was totally out of the blue. He was absolutely fine during the first interview. In good spirits and delighted and surprised to be there. Like a competition winner.”
His actions were said to have left organisers furious and BBC bosses in talks over whether he should remain on the show at all.
A female journalist had simply asked Skinner what had motivated him to sign up for Strictly, which left the reality TV star realising he was being recorded on a phone during the press event.
“What’s that?” Skinner demanded, before picking up the woman’s phone and taking it from the table.
The journalist responded asking: “What are you doing, can you answer the question, we have only got three minutes. I’m just recording him.”
Now fans have called for the former Apprentice star to be axed from the upcoming series which starts later this Autumn.
Taking to X, they shared their thoughts as one user wrote: “This is what the BBC deserve because I for one am not surprised at all. Now drop the axe IMMEDIATELY. #Strictly.”
“Get rid of him man child #strictly,” another fumed. “Well I can’t say I’m surprised should never had been part of the show to begin with hope he’s axed,” someone else complained.
Another Strictly fan said: “I hope they don’t let him on the show. This behaviour is horrible. The show hasn’t even started and he’s acting like this. No way.”
“The first mistake was asking Thomas Skinner to be on Strictly in the first place. Rookie mistake omg,” someone else added.
Skinner posted a cryptic message to his Twitter (X) followers this morning ahead of the press day commencing.
In the length tweet, he wrote: “I cannot be bought. I won’t say things just to keep people happy like others do. I am not a weathercock who changes opinions to gain clout like others you see online or social media. I’ll say what I believe in, even when it’s not easy. Because that’s what we need more of in today’s world.”
Skinner’s antics came just hours on from BBC director-general Tim Davie, 58, defended the decision to cast former the Apprentice contestant in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking to MPs from the Culture, Media and Sport committee, Davie said: “That was not my decision, that was the production team looking for those people … who want to do Strictly, and those people they thought would be interesting to the audience.”
“Clearly, we wouldn’t take anyone whose views are just beyond the pale, or we would see as completely unacceptable or not suitable, racist views, all those things, we wouldn’t accept them. But that’s not the case here, from what I know, I’m not an expert on the individual, per se.”
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