Tom Skinner breaks silence on early Strictly Come Dancing exit as he ‘seeks legal advice’ after claiming ‘BBC bosses rigged official voting figures’

Tom Skinner broke his silence on his early exit from Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday to ‘seek legal advice’ after claiming BBC bosses rigged official voting figures.

The Apprentice star, 34, had already been seen as a controversial signing due to his outspoken Right-wing views and was the first star to be voted off the show in October.

In a lengthy post to X, he wrote: ‘As many of you will have seen in the papers, I will not be in the final of Strictly Come Dancing tonight.

‘The first thing I want to say is… I spoke to my lovely dance partner Amy Dowden to make sure she wouldn’t mind if I didn’t participate.

‘He’s a good person and a good friend now, I would never let him down. When I was given the opportunity to do Strictly in April I was excited.

‘It’s not because I can dance…’ I can’t. But because I really wanted to test myself and learn something completely outside my comfort zone.’

The Apprentice star, 34, was seen as a controversial signing for his outspoken Right-wing views and was the first star to be axed from the show in October (pictured last month)

Thomas is said to have been convinced that he could now prove that he had won a larger share of the popular vote, which should have saved him from the dance.

The TV personality continued: ‘The night I left the programme, I received an anonymous email claiming to be from a BBC executive, containing statistics, saying that I had received many more votes than it appeared and that this was not true. I have since had the email independently verified.

‘In the same email it was mentioned that the BBC was very angry and nervous just because I had met JD Vance (VICE PRESIDENT OF THE USA). Let me be clear, I am not a political man. I never have been. I just love my country and I’m a patriot.

‘I was portrayed as this political figure by the press. If someone had an opportunity like I did, they would take it.

‘I still think it’s crazy that a guy like me, who sells beds from a van, can now call someone so high up in world politics a friend.

‘I asked to see the official voting figures to support the official voting figures sent to me by email but I was told they could not be shown. And it has never been shown in the history of the show.

‘I have spoken to senior people who I really respect and to the BBC outreach team about the email I received. And they were the ones who advised me to seek legal advice because of how unfair everything was. (This was not my idea).

‘There were smaller things that added to that feeling, too. Everyone at the show was given a welcome gift… skincare items, face masks, things like that. Looks like mine was the only one ‘Stolen’.’

Thomas is said to have been convinced that he could now prove that he had won a larger share of the popular vote, which should have saved him from the dance

He said: ‘In the same email I mentioned that the BBC were very angry and tense because I had met JD Vance. Let me be clear, I am not a political man.’

He added: ‘I asked to see the official voting figures to support the official voting figures sent to me by email but was told they could not be shown. And it was never shown’

He added: ‘It is nothing in itself…. but it felt weird on top of everything else. Just because I was on this show, I was portrayed as someone I wasn’t.

‘Opinions were formed from inaccurate or exaggerated stories in the media over the summer. It’s not fair what happened to me and my family. I want to say this carefully.

‘After receiving and confirming this information, a very senior member of the BBC resigned. I’m not saying it had anything to do with me, but it felt weird.

‘Also the main presenters resigned the following week. Again, I’m not saying this has anything to do with me. It’s all so random. I’m just being honest. I didn’t want any of this to appear in the press.

‘Much of what has been written about me has been exaggerated or inaccurate, and I have struggled to understand this over the last few months. This is my life and to be honest, the things being said about me are not nice.

‘What I found strange was that, following a private Zoom call with BBC executives on Wednesday night about the way forward, this became national news on Thursday morning.

This tells me there is a leak. Because it wasn’t my place to go to the press. (Could be from the person who sent me the email) …..I didn’t want this to be national news, I didn’t even want any of this.

‘But now I’m writing a statement to let people know the truth about why I disagree, I don’t want people to think I’m resentful when I disagree.

‘I don’t want any more stories to be written that are not true. I won’t start to attract attention. I’m not saying I should win. I was terrible at dancing, we all know that.

‘But love me or hate me, you have to appreciate the massive following I have, I can’t even get into my local Tesco without being stopped for a selfie.

‘I only believe in justice and respect. I wish every dancer the best tonight. They worked hard and deserved their moments. As for me, I have fish to sell on my stall and a family that I love more than anything. As always, thank you for your love. Bosh’

The Daily Mail has contacted BBC representatives for comment.

Sources revealed on Thursday that Thomas had taken legal action against the BBC after he claimed bosses ‘rigged’ the public vote to remove him from the programme.

In October, Thomas said he wished he had ‘never gone on StrictlyCome Dancing’ as he was subjected to ‘constant abuse’ after it was revealed he was cheating on his wife (pictured together)

Thomas and professional partner Amy Dowden, 35, scored a dismal 29 out of 80 across the two shows and were placed in the bottom two alongside former rugby player Chris Robshaw, who was eventually saved by the judges.

A source said: ‘The BBC is already facing a £7.5bn lawsuit from Donald Trump; Now Vice President J.D. Vance’s friend Thomas is also taking on the case.’

The president filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the embattled company after it was revealed that he had rigged his speech on its Panorama episode.

they continued to tell Sun: ‘Thomas is adamant that he has won a larger share of the popular vote and believes he has the evidence to prove it. He is determined to see this through, but there is no way the BBC can ignore this sensational claim. ‘They will vigorously defend any allegations that the vote was rigged or tampered with.’

‘He believes the BBC are determined to get him out as soon as possible, no matter how many fans are behind him.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Thomas’ representatives for comment.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘The public rating for Strictly Come Dancing is robust and is independently audited and verified to ensure complete accuracy.’

In October, Thomas said he wished he had ‘Absolutely Never Gone Dancing’ as he was subjected to ‘constant harassment’ after it was revealed he was cheating on his wife.

Thomas admitted he was unfaithful to Amy-Lucy O’Rourke and Sinead just weeks after their wedding in May 2022, claiming the ‘two-week fling’ was a ‘moment of madness’ that saw him nearly ‘ruin his life’.