Thomas Skinner shared a robust parry with his followers, railing against ‘misinformation’ just hours before he stormed out of a Strictly Come Dancing press event.
On Tuesday, the Apprentice star, 34, was conducting a series of interviews alongside the rest of the 2025 Strictly cast after a morning of rehearsals.
However, Metro attended the BBC press day and was informed that Skinner only took part in two interviews before ‘storming out’ of the event held at Elstree Studios, where the ballroom dance show is also filmed.
It came after many were left incensed by the inclusion of the businessman in the 2025 show line-up, since he has come under fire in recent years for comments including that London is ‘hostile’, ‘tense’ and ‘not safe out there anymore’.
Last month, Skinner met US vice president JD Vance while he was on holiday in the Cotswolds.
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Ahead of the Strictly press day on Tuesday, Skinner shared a lengthy tweet to his verified X account, in which he said he always stands up for ‘the everyday person like myself’.
He elaborated: ‘The people who graft, who work hard, provide for their families and who keep this beautiful country moving from all walks of life.’
Skinner continued: ‘I’m proud of my family. I love my kids. I love my wife. I support those around me, and I’ll always try to be a positive force in people’s lives.
‘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.’
The reality star went on to say he would ‘stand shoulder to shoulder with the people who make this nation what it is’.
What happened at the Strictly Come Dancing press event?
Metro understands that Skinner was being interviewed with football star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink by a group of journalists at the time of the incident.
At one point, Skinner is said to have picked up a journalist’s phone from the table, before they eventually got it back from him.
The 34-year-old had yet to answer any questions when he abruptly left the interview, prompting Hasselbaink to follow him out of the room.
Yet it was only Hasselbaink that returned to complete the remainder of their interviews, with Skinner unavailable for any other journalists in attendance.
When Skinner first walked into the press room alongside stars including Dani Dyer and Vicky Pattinson, he was smiling and seemed in good spirits.
The Daily Mail has claimed that his actions ‘left organisers furious and BBC bosses in crisis talks over whether he should remain on the show’.
He concluded the post writing: ‘They can say and spread misinformation all they like about me to try and get me down. But it only makes me stronger,’ before signing off with (you guessed it) his now-signature ‘bosh’ and a United Kingdom flag emoji.
The Strictly press day incident occurred on the same day the BBC director general Tim Davie defended the inclusion of Skinner on the series.
‘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,’ he said.
‘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.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC screens from September 20.
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