{"id":410652,"date":"2025-09-09T14:33:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/410652\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T14:33:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:33:21","slug":"thomas-skinner-storms-out-of-strictly-press-conference-in-huge-meltdown-as-show-bosses-hold-crisis-talks-on-whether-he-should-be-axed-mere-hours-after-bbc-boss-defended-him-amid-liberal-wokerati-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/410652\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas Skinner STORMS OUT of Strictly press conference in huge meltdown as show bosses hold crisis talks on whether he should be axed – mere hours after BBC boss defended him amid liberal ‘wokerati’ backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Controversial Strictly<\/a> signing Thomas Skinner dramatically stormed out of the dance competition’s first press event on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Insiders told Daily Mail that the Apprentice star, 34, only took part in two interviews before exiting the event held at Elstree Studios, leaving organisers furious and BBC bosses in crisis talks over whether he should remain on the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thomas was sitting next to former Chelsea star and fellow Strictly contestant Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink when he told the table of journalists: \u2018I\u2019m not doing this’, and fled from the event.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

He had taken exception to being taped by journalists \u2013 which is standard for the event.<\/p>\n

A female journalist asked him what had prompted him to take part in Strictly and it was at that point that Thomas saw that he was being recorded on her phone. He bellowed: \u2018What\u2019s that?’<\/p>\n

He then picked up the journalist\u2019s phone and took it from the table., prompting the woman to furiously ask him: \u2018What are you doing, can you answer the question, we have only got three minutes. I\u2019m just recording him.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Controversial <\/p>\n

Controversial Strictly signing Thomas Skinner dramatically stormed out of the dance competition’s first press event on Tuesday (pictured in 2022)<\/p>\n

After a slight tussle in which the female journalist managed to retrieve her phone, Thomas walked out – with BBC<\/a> escorts then temporarily taking Jimmy away from the table – while\u00a0desperately trying to locate Thomas’ whereabouts.<\/p>\n

A source said: ‘This is exactly what Strictly did not need. With all the recent controversy, bosses wanted this series to be smooth sailing but Thomas is already causing havoc.’<\/p>\n

The insider added: ‘It\u2019s unprecedented for a celebrity to walk out of the show\u2019s media launch day and bosses think it\u2019s really bad form.’<\/p>\n

‘If this is a sign of things to come, Strictly have a big problem.’<\/p>\n

The Daily Mail can reveal bosses are now having crisis meetings about whether father-of-three Thomas should stay on the show.<\/p>\n

Strictly fans have been bombarding the Beeb with complaints – and vowed to boycott the show – after Thomas met with Donald Trump’s vice-president and called him a ‘proper gent’.<\/p>\n

However, just moments before Thomas’ meltdown, BBC director-general Tim Davie defended the decision to cast the former Apprentice star, while speaking to MPs from the Culture, Media and Sport committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said: ‘That was not my decision, that was the production team looking for those people\u2026 who want to do Strictly, and those people they thought would be interesting to the audience.<\/p>\n

‘Clearly, we wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019t accept them.<\/p>\n

‘But that\u2019s not the case here, from what I know, I\u2019m not an expert on the individual, per se.’<\/p>\n

\"Strictly <\/p>\n

Strictly fans have been bombarding BBC with complaints – and vowed to boycott the show – after Thomas met with Donald Trump’s vice-president JD Vance and called him a ‘proper gent’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Thomas has insisted that the left-wing flak is unfair.<\/p>\n

He told The Daily Mail last month: ‘I\u2019m not right wing. People are like sheep and just started saying it because I got invited to go to BBQ with JD Vance and I posted a picture with him.<\/p>\n

‘Who is gonna turn down an opportunity to meet the 2nd most powerful man in the world?\u2019, he added.<\/p>\n

And in a message for his critics he said: ‘Some people will hate you without ever really knowing you \u2014 and that\u2019s okay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I wish them well. We\u2019re all different, and not everyone will see life the same way. If their anger or bitterness has to go somewhere, I\u2019d rather they throw it at me than ruin someone else\u2019s day. I can take it’.<\/p>\n

In recent days, he\u2019s spoken on social media about the heavy trolling he\u2019s received since meeting up with Donald Trump\u2019s righthand man, and claimed it\u2019s heavily impacted himself and his family.<\/p>\n

Defending his meeting with Vance at a barbecue in the Cotswolds, he said: ‘I\u2019m not right wing.<\/p>\n

‘People are like sheep and just started saying it because I got invited to go to bbq with JD Vance and I posted a picture with him.<\/p>\n

‘Who is gonna turn down an opportunity to meet the 2nd most powerful man in the world?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Daily Mail can reveal bosses are now having crisis meetings about whether father-of-three Thomas should stay on the show\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thomas was a surprise pick for the upcoming series.<\/p>\n

Since making his name on the 2019 series of The Apprentice, his only other notable TV appearance was on Celebrity MasterChef the following year.<\/p>\n

Known for his Bosh catchphrase, Thomas has billed himself as a ‘modern day Del Boy’ and has attracted legions of social media followers courtesy of his early motivational speeches from his favourite cafe.<\/p>\n

Before finding fame in 2011, Thomas landed himself in trouble with the police for handling stolen goods.<\/p>\n

He was charged with dishonestly handling 4,992 tubes of Body Shop cleansing gels worth nearly \u00a340,000 and having 2,000 diazepam tablets.<\/p>\n

In February, he brought up his past misdemeanours after coming under fire from trolls for witnessing a robbery at a Greggs.<\/p>\n

He slammed the individuals for stealing while wearing designer clothes – and furiously said ‘what\u2019s happening’ to the state of the country, before social media users reminded him of his own criminal past and branded him a \u201chypocrite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hitting back on X, he wrote: ‘Still finding it mad that people are actually having a go at me on Twitter because I pointed out that Greggs got robbed whilst I was in there. And then bringing up my past.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Yes I did get arrested when I was younger, in fact I get arrested several times. And been charged and paid the price for my convictions. I wrote a book about it.’<\/p>\n

He continued: ‘I never had my own bedroom at one point when I was younger and slept on a pull out bed on the floor.<\/p>\n

‘I never had any money or had anything given to me on a plate, yet I turned my life around. I go around schools\/colleges\/universities telling my story hoping I can inspire others.’<\/p>\n

He added: ‘I\u2019m no hero. I\u2019m just a hard worker. I\u2019ve made mistakes, in fact more than most, who hasn\u2019t made one? I now try to spread positivity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I\u2019ve been stabbed when I was younger because of what I got up to and that\u2019s why I try help with my knife crime campaign at my gym.<\/p>\n

‘People need to get in the real world and see that there is a problem in this country. And we can fix it if we stick together. Bosh.’<\/p>\n

Last month, Thomas moaned he wasn\u2019t about his wealth not being on par with other reality stars he follows on social media in a tweet which is quickly deleted.<\/p>\n

He ranted: ‘How do all these celebrities have loads of money? You don’t get bundles of dough for TV or adverts etc (well I don’t)\u2026.<\/p>\n

‘But I look on Instagram and they’re always in this gaff or posting in a new motor.<\/p>\n

‘I finished me Strictly stuff earlier today and I’m now out in my van delivering mattresses. Do I need to be part of a special club now on the tele that’s gives ya unlimited monies.’<\/p>\n

STRICTLY LINEUP 2025<\/a> Harry Aikines-Aryeetey \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 36<\/p>\n

Profession: Olympic Sprinter and Gladiator<\/p>\n

Harry says: ‘I’ll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let’s hope I’m as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track.’<\/p>\n

Alex Kingston \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 62<\/p>\n

Profession: Doctor Who actress<\/p>\n

The actress teases: ‘My hips don’t lie.’<\/p>\n

Balvinder Sopal\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 46<\/p>\n

Profession: EastEnders actress<\/p>\n

Balvinder says: ‘I\u2019m far too excited to put into words how I feel but I\u2019m incredibly excited at the prospect of dancing across the ballroom.’<\/p>\n

La Voix\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 45<\/p>\n

Profession: Drag performer\u00a0<\/p>\n

She says:\u00a0‘Strictly is a national institution and I can’t wait to get started. All that’s left to say is: good luck to my partner! Here’s hoping they can help me go from La Voix into La Danse.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thomas Skinner\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 34<\/p>\n

Profession: Reality star and entrepreneur\u00a0<\/p>\n

He says:\u00a0‘Bring on the sequins, sambas and most importantly, the BOSH to the ballroom!’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vicky Pattison \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 37<\/p>\n

Profession: Reality TV star<\/p>\n

She says: ‘I’m absolutely buzzing to be part of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Karen Carney\u00a0\u00a0 \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 38<\/p>\n

Profession: Football pundit<\/p>\n

She says: ‘I\u2019m such a huge fan of the show and I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m finally getting the chance to take part.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Dani Dyer \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 29<\/p>\n

Profession: Reality star, 2018 Love Island winner<\/p>\n

Dani says: ‘Getting the opportunity to be on Strictly is the second most amazing thing I\u2019ve done this year!\u00a0\u00a0feel very very blessed and cannot wait to get my dancing shoes on.’<\/p>\n

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 53<\/p>\n

Profession: Former Chelsea and Netherlands striker and ex-England coach.<\/p>\n

He says: ‘Swapping the pitch for the ballroom is certainly not something I\u2019ve done before but I\u2019m looking forward to tackling a fun challenge! Bring on a new type of footwork, with hopefully no own goals.’<\/p>\n

Ellie Goldstein\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 23<\/p>\n

Profession: Model, influencer and disability ambassador\u00a0<\/p>\n

She says:\u00a0‘It\u2019s a show I\u2019ve loved watching for so long, and the chance to now be part of it feels like a dream’.<\/p>\n

Chris Robshaw<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 39<\/p>\n

Profession: Rugby player<\/p>\n

He says:\u00a0‘This is about as far out of my comfort zone as it gets! I\u2019m hoping to take my dad-dancing to a whole new level, and my mum can\u2019t wait to drag me along to her Zumba class’.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stefan Dennis \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 66<\/p>\n

Profession: Actor<\/p>\n

He says: ‘Looking forward to the sparkle and reaching for the sky.’<\/p>\n

Ross King\u00a0 \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 63<\/p>\n

Profession: Showbiz correspondent<\/p>\n

He says: ‘I can\u2019t wait to learn from the best, meet my fellow contestants, and, most importantly\u2026 try not to step on too many toes!’<\/p>\n

\u00a0Lewis Cope \"\" <\/p>\n

Age: 30<\/p>\n

Profession: Actor<\/p>\n

He says: ‘I’m so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.’<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Controversial Strictly signing Thomas Skinner dramatically stormed out of the dance competition’s first press event on Tuesday. Insiders…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[192,92,77,601,813,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-410652","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-bbc","9":"tag-dailymail","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-jd-vance","12":"tag-tvshowbiz","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115174835149644908","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}