Thomas Skinner made an appearance on Good Morning Britain this morning to address the controversy surrounding his departure from Strictly Come Dancing and confirm he has no intention of taking legal action against the BBC.
The 34-year-old former Strictly contestant, who was partnered with professional dancer Amy Dowden during the 2025 series, became the first celebrity eliminated from the competition following a dance-off against Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova.
In the weeks following his exit, Mr Skinner had questioned the circumstances of his elimination, claiming he received an anonymous email on the night he left alleging he had "received far more votes than it appeared."
During the interview, the businessman candidly declared: "I've got no rows with the BBC."
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Thomas Skinner said he has 'no rows' with the BBC
|ITV
Mr Skinner also revealed the reason behind his decision to skip the Strictly Come Dancing final on December 20, when Ms Karen Carney and Mr Carlos Gu were crowned champions.
He said: “The reason I didn’t come back, this is the honest truth, I thought I’ve had all this bad press.
“I’d been front page every time I’d been on the show and I didn’t want to take away from everyone else.”
The businessman said his decision was driven largely by concern for his family amid the media attention.
Mr Skinner said he had some chats with the BBC after he was the first to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2025
| BBC“I didn’t want my wife to think, ‘Oh, there’s another story about us now,’” he added.
“It wasn’t fair.”However, Mr Skinner acknowledged the irony of his situation, noting: "But anyway, I ended up being front page anyway! So it didn't really matter."
The former market trader shed light on his conversations with the BBC regarding the controversial email he claimed to have received.
Mr Skinner explained during the interview: "I did have some chats with the BBC, I did."
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Thomas Skinner was partnered with Amy Dowden on the dancing show
| BBC"They said 'You've been sent something you shouldn't have been sent, it is what it is. We think you should get some legal advice.' That was the chat with the BBC."
Despite previously posting on X about his intention to pursue legal action after claiming the email had been "independently verified," Mr Skinner confirmed he has moved on from any potential dispute.
He pointed to his continued relationship with the broadcaster as evidence, revealing he participated in Celebrity Apprentice for Children in Need just a week after his Strictly elimination and has further BBC projects lined up for the coming year.
When a presenter pressed Mr Skinner on whether he still believed the voting had been manipulated against him, the reality star offered a measured response while highlighting his online popularity.
He said: "Listen, all I'm going to say is, I got a lot of bad noise in the press, I was frontpage every day, it wasn't good for the show.
"I know I can't dance. I know I can't dance but I enjoyed dancing with Amy because she's an absolute legend.
"All I'm going to say is, whenever I put something on social media, I get 20 million views and about 200,000 likes."
The interviewer then read out the BBC's official position on the matter: "Strictly Come Dancing's public vote is independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy every week. Any claims to the contrary are entirely without foundation."
Thomas Skinner with his wife and children
| INSTAGRAMMr Skinner painted a vivid picture of the media intrusion he and his loved ones endured during his time on the dancing programme.
He revealed: "It was stupid, there were journalists outside my house following my wife back from Sainsbury's, I saw my wife getting upset, and that's what hurt me more than anything, my wife and my family."
The harassment extended beyond his immediate household, with reporters knocking on doors belonging to his sister and friends, while others reportedly sat in his local pub offering cash for stories about him.
Despite the ordeal, Mr Skinner confirmed that Ms Dowden has become a "family friend" and disclosed plans to play golf with Strictly professional Kai Widdrington in the coming weeks.
He also reiterated his commitment to future BBC collaborations.
Fans and friends of the mattress salesman were quick to take to social media to share their reactions to the interview, with many voicing support for the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant and criticising the BBC.
Actor and comedian Daniel O’Reilly wrote: “Honestly, it’s sickening what they do. So many people have taken their own lives from it. We’ll make mistakes, but for some reason, if you’re in the public eye you deserve to be destroyed for them. It’s mental.”
GB News presenter Adam Brooks also weighed in, writing: “They tried to end him. Disgusting.”
Fans of the former Apprentice star echoed the sentiment, with one writing: “Tom Skinner is a real man. He is a great guy. Alan Sugar wouldn’t still be in contact with him if he wasn’t.”
Another added: “I like Tom. He comes across as a decent fella.”
However, not all viewers were sympathetic. Beneath a clip of the interview, one critic commented: “So does he want attention or not? I’m lost.”
Another wrote bluntly: “Serves him right.”