Thomas Skinner hits out at BBC presenter over 'daft digs' amid Strictly debut backlash

Thomas Skinner has hit out at BBC presenter Peter Levy online, as he said "you stick to reading the autocue, I'll stick to learning the cha-cha", following the announcement that he is paired with professional dancer Amy Dowden on the 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The Apprentice star, 34, has been hit with backlash from Amy's fans and followers after he has recently been caught up in a cheating scandal and shared controversial opinions online. BBC presenter Peter Levy is the latest celeb to comment on the Strictly paring as he wrote on X, formally known as Twitter: "I feel sorry for Amy Dowden……"

Thomas was quick to respond and wrote back: "Don’t feel sorry for Amy, Peter. She is an incredible woman, a fighter, and we’re gonna have a great time together on Strictly. In fact we haven’t stopped laughing. Maybe instead of making daft digs at me, you should be cheering on a brilliant dancer who’s beaten bigger battles that you and I have had to face."

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He continued: "Anyway, you stick reading the autocue, I’ll stick to learning the cha-cha. I will be working my hardest on learning to dance so I don’t let her down. I want to do as well as possible, not just for myself but for her as-well. Bosh."

Skinner is one of fifteen stars to grace the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor this series in the hope to land the Glitter Ball trophy. Following the announcement of his inclusion, Skinner admitted he was “beyond excited” to be joining the BBC dancing show. He also confessed that he had “never danced in my life other than at weddings”.

His statement read: "I’m beyond excited to be joining Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve tackled the boardroom and some big breakfasts in my time but stepping onto the dance floor under that glitter ball is next level stuff!

"I’ve never danced in my life (other than at weddings) but I’m ready to graft and of course have a laugh. Bring on the sequins, sambas and most importantly, the BOSH to the ballroom!”

While The dancing duo appear keen to kick off the series, many of Amy's fans were also left fuming with the paring as one person commented on her Instagram: "Oh this is SO unfair on Amy. He’s literally the reason I’m not tuning in this season."

Another added: "Have they given Amy to him as she's so popular and loved in the hope it dampens some of the hate?", while a third wrote: "Come in guys, this isn’t right. Amy has had a rough time of it recently and has shown incredible strength and determination. And you pair her with him????".

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