Reality TV star Thomas Skinner has reportedly been dropped by his talent management agency after threatening legal action against the BBC over his early exit from Strictly Come Dancing.
Agent parts ways with Skinner amid Strictly row
According to reports, the talent management firm Insanity informed the 34-year-old former Apprentice contestant on Saturday that they would no longer be representing him. This decision comes amidst an escalating dispute where Skinner has claimed his elimination from the popular BBC dance competition was due to falsified voting numbers.
Insanity, whose client roster includes high-profile names like Sam Thompson, Maya Jama, and Roman Kemp, is said to have made the dramatic move as the controversy continued to unfold. However, when approached for comment by The Mirror, Skinner himself maintained that he had not parted ways with the agency.
The anonymous email and voting fraud claims
The saga began when Skinner, who was the first contestant eliminated from the 2025 series with professional partner Amy Dowden, claimed to have received an anonymous email from a purported former TV executive. The email allegedly confirmed that voting numbers were manipulated, leading to his wrongful removal from the show.
Skinner stated he had the email "independently verified" and further suggested a political motive. He claimed the BBC was "very angry and nervous" about a prior meeting he had with American Vice President JD Vance. Despite these assertions, the BBC and the independent voting verification company, PromoVeritas, have robustly denied any inaccuracies in the voting process.
A source close to the show pointed to an independent exit poll by website Strictly Spoiler, which surveyed 125,000 viewers, as "cold, hard facts." The poll indicated Skinner received just 1,805 votes, or 1.4% of the public vote, making him the least popular contestant and legitimately placing him bottom of the leaderboard when combined with judges' scores.
Skinner's response and ongoing fallout
In a statement to The Mirror, Skinner expressed a desire to move on from the controversy. "I had discussions with BBC representatives on Wednesday evening, which I considered to be private and constructive," he said. "I did not intend for any of this to become public... I’m keen to move on and focus on my work away from controversy."
He also explained his absence from the Strictly final, stating he had cleared it with his dance partner Amy Dowden. Skinner reiterated his claim about the anonymous email but said he did not wish to comment further on it or release it publicly.
The BBC issued a firm response: "Strictly Come Dancing's public vote is independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy every week. Any claims to the contrary are entirely without foundation." They added that Skinner had yet to share the email in question with them despite requests.
This incident caps off a turbulent period for Skinner, whose Strictly stint was preceded by controversy, including an incident where he snatched a reporter's phone and public admissions of past infidelity. He also claimed to have been ostracised during the show, alleging he did not receive welcome gifts given to other contestants.
