Amy Dowden has expressed her disappointment that her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Thomas Skinner did not attend Saturday’s final. The Welsh dancer told ITV’s Lorraine that she was “gutted” he missed what she described as an “incredibly fun [and] exciting” night.
Skinner, who was the first celebrity eliminated from the 2025 series, announced on social media hours before the live show that he would not take part in the group dance. He claimed to have proof the vote was rigged against him, an allegation the BBC has denied. He has since been removed from his agent’s website.
Dowden said she last spoke to Skinner on Thursday and he did not mention his plans. She added that her “mind was elsewhere” as she had just lost a loved one – her dance teacher Phillip Perry, who she described as a “second dad”.
“I owe my entire dancing career and everything to him,” she said. “To be honest, I was just gutted Thomas missed out on what was an incredibly fun, exciting final. I would have loved for him to be there.”
Skinner’s time on Strictly was marked by controversy, including admitting to cheating on his wife weeks after their wedding and walking out of a pre-series press event. He finished bottom of the leaderboard after week one and two combined, losing the dance-off to Chris Robshaw.
