Tom Skinner has been a controversial signing for this year’s series of the BBC series Strictly Come Dancing and the star has now sensationally stormed out of an interview
In a shocking move, Tom Skinner stormed out of a round-table interview ahead of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, just hours after posting a cryptic message on social media claiming he “can’t be bought” and “won’t say things just to keep people happy”.
The Apprentice star, 34, who has been a contentious addition to this year’s lineup, walked out of the third interview of the day, leaving fellow contestant Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to continue alone.
Skinner, known for his outspoken views on social media, has faced criticism for his tweets, including one stating it’s “not far-right” to be “flying your flag and loving your country”, and another complaining that London is “hostile” and “tense”.
However, it appears Skinner is less comfortable discussing his views in person. According to an insider, he became agitated when a reporter began recording their conversation, a standard practice during press events.
“He walked to the table with his head down, sat down, grabbed one of the reporters’ phones, who told him to stop,” the insider revealed. “It was a shock. His reaction came out of nowhere.”, reports the Mirror.
A separate insider revealed: “It was completely unexpected. He was in high spirits and thrilled to be there during the initial interview, much like a competition winner.”
Earlier that morning, Skinner shared a cryptic message with his Twitter (X) followers before the press day began. In a lengthy tweet, he stated: “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.”
Skinner’s actions come just hours after BBC director-general Tim Davie justified the decision to cast the former Apprentice contestant in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Addressing MPs from the Culture, Media and Sport committee, Davie explained: “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.”
The 58 year old added: “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.”
BBC Director-General Tim Davie has addressed criticism surrounding the casting of social media personality Nigel Skinner on Strictly Come Dancing. The decision was questioned by TV presenter Narinder Kaur, who claimed she was rejected from the show for being “too controversial”.
When asked about Kaur’s allegations, Davie stated that he had “never heard that” and explained that he is not directly involved in the casting process. He said: “I’m not involved directly, that’s not disowning it, it’s just day to day. It’s for BBC Studios to propose to the commissioner of entertainment who they think they can get, one is who will take part, because it’s quite a commitment, three months in full training.”
Davie defended the casting decision, saying that the show’s producers aim to create a balanced lineup. He added: “And the second is, who are people that they think would make a good balance in terms of the cost, and my goodness, they’ve done a good job in terms of creating a phenomenal show.”
Skinner has come under scrutiny for his social media activity, including a recent meeting with US vice president JD Vance, which he described as a “once in a lifetime” experience.
When asked to define what makes someone “too controversial” for the show, Davie stated: “There may be views you don’t agree with, but that’s not to me, a criteria. If someone had broadcast things that were totally unacceptable, had racist views, we don’t want them anywhere near our shows, that’s obvious.”
Skinner added: “That’s what our team have to judge, I don’t know how many series we’re in, but we’ve had a pretty good run of the contestants, there’s been things to deal with, but actually, in terms of the casting and the overall show around the world, I think they do a good job.”
This year’s Strictly lineup includes Skinner alongside other notable names such as Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen, former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and CBBC actress Ellie Goldstein, who will make history as the first contestant with Down’s syndrome to participate in the full series.
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