Strictly Come Dancing star Thomas Skinner has taken to social media with a lengthy rant about being ‘kicked down’ in recent weeks.
Ever since The Apprentice star, 34, was announced as a competitor on the 23rd season of the dance show – which kicked off on Saturday – he’s been in the headlines for various controversies.
Skinner has long voiced his political views on social media, and was pictured at a barbecue and beers with JD Vance just before the Strictly announcement.
He also recently confessed to cheating on his wife just weeks after they married in 2022 and he apologised for storming out of a Strictly press conference after spotting some ‘messages about his personal story’ on a journalist’s phone.
‘Life ain’t easy. I’ve been kicked down and called every name under the sun recently and probably some of it I deserve, as yes I ain’t always right,’ Skinner began in a new lengthy new social media post.’
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Skinner then explained how ever since he was invited to a BBQ with the Vice President of the United States ‘it’s gone crazy’.
‘Certain people are doing everythin they can to ruin me. Mainly Faceless accounts givin it large and abusing me, hypocrites making everything political. Now I see people are fumin that I’m on Strictly…. and the funny thing is that the majority of them got “be kind” wrote in their bios. You couldn’t make it up,’ he continued.
Skinner then said he ‘won’t be cancelled’ and is not going to ‘kill [him]self like some of you want’.
‘I’m still here. I’m still standin. Trust me when I say this; I am stronger than people think. Every insult, every lie, every attack….it don’t break me, it builds me stronger,’ he added.
The TV star then explained he came ‘from nothing’ having slept on a pull-out bed due to a lack of bedroom, and now he’s commited himself to a life of ‘graft’.
‘All the political parties have come knockin wantin me to work with them from both the left and right. But I ain’t got no interest in that. I’m not for them. I’m for the people. For the man or woman on the street who just wants to do better in life,’ he said.
Saying he knows what it’s like not to have rent money at the end of the month, Skinner added: ‘That’s why I’ll always stand shoulder to shoulder with the people who graft and struggle but never stop pushin forward. I’m not a millionaire, if I was I wouldn’t be out in my van doing bed deliveries in between training for Strictly.’
Admitting he’s ‘made mistakes’ and nodding to cheating on his wife, Skinner said they’ve ‘moved on’ and everyone else should too.
‘Yes I got arrested several times when I was younger. Yes I was always in trouble. But I’ve turned my life around. Yes I went to a private school cos I worked my arse off for a scholarship and my parents sacrificed everything. I was brilliant at sports, but I got expelled and ruined my opportunity. Yes I’m dyslexic and my spelling is bad. Yes I’m outspoken. But anyone who says they ain’t made mistakes is a liar. I don’t hide mine. I own them,’ he said.
‘They made me the man I am today. I’ve buried mates. I’ve got friends doin life in jail. I’ve made bad choices. But I ain’t scared of nothin. My wife is my rock. My family is my world. I love my kids more than life itself,’ he added.
Explaining his extreme press conference reaction in a social media apology afterwards, Skinner said: ‘I’ve been through some difficult times in my life, which I’ve worked hard to move on from.
‘In that moment, seeing it there caught me off guard. I felt it was best to step away and gather myself.’
In the statement set against a picture of the Strictly ballroom, he added: ‘This had nothing to do with the interviews or Strictly itself.
‘I’m sorry I picked up someone else’s phone and I don’t even know if the journalist realised their messages were visible, and I don’t want to suggest any bad intentions on their part.
‘What I do want to say is how excited I am to be part of Strictly this year. I’m so grateful for all the love, kindness and support I’ve been shown so far.
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