'Don't cheat!' Nicola McLean gives brutal Thomas Skinner advice after BBC Strictly exit: 'Was gonna happen!'

Olivia Gantzer

By Olivia Gantzer


Published: 11/10/2025

- 10:00

The former Celebrity Big Brother star didn't hold back

Reality star Nicola McLean has offered a brutal suggestion to Thomas Skinner, who ended up being the first to leave Strictly Come Dancing last weekend.

Famously anti-woke Mr Skinner, 34, faced strong backlash to being on the show due to his views, but was also slammed when it emerged he had cheated on his wife just wees after their wedding.


Many have jumped to Mr Skinner's defence, arguing his personal life shouldn't have been a topic of conversation.

The businessman found fame on the 2019 edition of The Apprentice, and has remained in the public eye since.

Nicola McLean

Nicola McLean has starred in Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity Get e Out Of Here

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GETTY

Partnered with Amy Dowden on the BBC competition, Mr Skinner admitted he was "gutted" to have been the first celebrity voted out of the show.

However, he enthused about his time on Strictly and confessed "I'm not a very good dancer".

Some fans shared Mr Skinner's disappointment, but others take a harsher view.

peaking exclusively to GB News via Which Bingo, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here star Ms McLean, 44, bluntly stated "don't cheat" when asked about the Strictly exit.

Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden

Thomas Skinner was partnered with Amy Dowden

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BBC

"Well, I think the controversy around him cheating on his wife and then the mistress coming out and saying it wasn't just a one night thing... I think that didn't help him, did it?

"So I think that that's probably why he went, but yeah. Don't cheat. It's life, isn't it?

"You know when you go into any reality show, if you've had a scandal, it's going to come with you.

"You might be able to turn it around. You might not be able to, obviously, with like, ones like, Strictly Come Dancing, you're only seeing a tiny bit of their personality where, maybe if he did Big Brother, he could have turned it around.

"Because people would be like, ‘Oh, he's a nice guy.' I don’t know if he is, I don't know him.

"But you know, you don't see enough of your personality for the public to go, 'Oh well, he's actually a nice guy.' So it was gonna happen, wasn't it?"

The former glamour model went on: "And that is just life. If you make s*** choices, sometimes they bite you in the bum."

When asked if she herself would ever want to take part in the dance show, Ms McLean admitted: "No, I'll be honest about that one.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, would I turn it down? Probably not, but it isn't on my bucket list.

Danielle Mason and Nicola McLean

Nicola McLean offered Thomas Skinner some brutal advice

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GETTY

"I honestly can't dance. I'm not even lying to you - if my husband was here and you said, 'can she dance?' he'd go, 'no.'

"It's not even like he'd be polite. And I also am extremely ADHD and dyslexic.

Nicola McLean

Nicola McLean has featured in many reality shows

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PA

"Learning a routine for me, I'm not sure that it can happen, and I get bored extremely quickly.

"It would probably very amusing. And I know people never know this about me, but I'm super nervous and anxious, like you know, in social situations, I need to have a couple of drinks before I relax. And I don't think I can do it drunk!"