Strictly Come Dancing’s 2025 launch has been overshadowed by drama after contestant Thomas Skinner stormed out of a press interview just hours after insisting online that he “can’t be bought.”
The Apprentice star, 34, was taking part in interviews with journalists at the BBC’s Elstree Studios when he abruptly got up, declared “I’m not doing this,” and walked out.
In a first for the long-running BBC competition, Skinner is said to have grabbed a reporter’s phone from the table after realising she was recording the conversation.
The journalist had asked him what had motivated him to sign up for the series, before Skinner allegedly picked up the device and demanded: “What’s that?”
An eyewitness told the Mirror: “He walked to the table with his head down, sat down, grabbed one of the reporter’s phones, who told him to stop. It was a shock. His reaction came out of nowhere.”
Another source added that just minutes earlier Skinner had seemed “in good spirits” and “like a competition winner.”
The incident left former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who had arrived with Skinner, continuing interviews alone.
Organisers were reportedly furious, with BBC bosses now said to be in talks over whether Skinner will remain on the show.
Hours earlier, the father-of-three had posted a lengthy message on X (formerly Twitter) declaring: “I cannot be bought. I won’t say things just to keep people happy like others do… I’ll say what I believe in, even when it’s not easy.”
Skinner’s casting has already proved divisive. He has been criticised for online posts claiming it is “not far-right” to fly the Union Jack and describing London as “hostile” and “tense.”
Earlier this year, he boasted about attending a barbecue with US Vice President JD Vance, a close ally of Donald Trump, calling it a “once in a lifetime” moment.
His inclusion in the line-up prompted former Big Brother star Narinder Kaur to complain she was deemed “too controversial” for the programme.
BBC director-general Tim Davie defended the casting to MPs this week, insisting the production team chooses contestants they believe will appeal to audiences.
“Clearly we wouldn’t take anyone whose views are completely unacceptable… but that’s not the case here,” he said.
Skinner, known for his “bosh” catchphrase, will appear alongside Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen, Hasselbaink, and CBBC actress Ellie Goldstein – who will make history as the first contestant with Down’s syndrome to compete in a full series of Strictly. The new season launches later this month.
