Social media star Thomas Skinner is competing in this year’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing, already proving to be the most controversial casting of the series.
The 34-year-old former Apprentice contestant has said that he is “beyond excited” to be joining the BBC dancing show and added that he had “never danced in my life other than at weddings”.
After rising to prominence on the 15th series of Lord Sugar’s business show in 2019, Skinner gained a significant social media following and developed his catchphrase “bosh”.
He now runs several businesses, such as a gym and a mattress company, and has appeared on numerous TV shows, including Celebrity MasterChef, 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Wheel.
In 2023, he released the self-help book Graft: How to Smash Life and, in 2024, presented The Men’s Room mental health podcast with former footballer Neil Ruddock.
Skinner’s casting has proved controversial among Strictly fans, since the news came just weeks after he was seen socialising with US vice-president JD Vance at a barbecue during his visit to the Cotswolds this summer, during which time he was pictured wearing a Maga (Make America Great Again) cap.
Skinner posted a snap with Vance on Instagram and called it a “once in a lifetime” event.
Writing on Instagram, he said: “Unreal night with JD and his friends and family. He was a proper gent. Lots of laughs and some fantastic food. A brilliant night, one to tell the grandkids about.”
Others have taken issue with Skinner’s recent X/Twitter posts, which state it is “not far-right” to be “flying your flag and loving your country”, and complaining “it ain’t safe out there any more” in London, saying the city is “hostile” and “tense”.
In early September, BBC director general Tim Davie defended the decision to cast Skinner in the forthcoming series, telling MPs from the Culture, Media and Sport committee that the casting team chose contestants who they believe will be interesting to the audience.
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Days later, Skinner issued an apology after picking up a journalist’s phone and leaving a Strictly press event at Elstree Studios, where he was being interviewed alongside the rest of the 2025 cast.
Skinner claimed, in a statement on 10 September, that he left the press event because he noticed “numerous messages” on a journalist’s phone containing information about a personal story from his past.
He 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.”
“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,” he continued.
Skinner finished the post by reiterating how excited he was to be a part of Strictly this year and thanked fans for “the love, kindness and support I’ve been shown so far”.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on 20 September.
