Strictly Come Dancing and former The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner has said he is "sorry" for picking up a journalist’s phone and leaving a press interview on Tuesday (September 9).
Skinner was reported to have grabbed the phone and walked out after objecting to being recorded by a journalist.
The 34-year-old broke his silence on the matter in a post on Instagram today (September 10), as he wanted to "set the record straight off the back of yesterday".
Skinner shared that his departure from the event was not related to the BBC dancing show, and claimed he did so as he had seen messages about his past on the reporter’s phone.
Strictly Come Dancing full line-up 2025
Thomas Skinner breaks silence after Strictly interview exit
He explained: “During one of the interviews, a journalist placed their phone on the table to record the conversation. I happened to catch a glimpse of the screen and saw numerous messages – not about Strictly – but about a personal story from my past.
“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.
“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. It means the world to me, and I can’t wait to give it my all on that dancefloor. Bosh.”
The social media influencer was appearing alongside former Chelsea footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at the event.
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Skinner has previously drawn strong criticism for X posts saying 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”.
His apology came after BBC director-general Tim Davie defended the decision to cast Skinner on Strictly, while being quizzed by MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport committee on Tuesday.
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Davie said: “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 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.”
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