Thomas Skinner has finally broken his silence — and admitted he “wasn’t good enough” for Strictly Come Dancing — after weeks of chaos, controversy and public outrage that turned his short-lived stint into one of the show’s most divisive chapters ever.

The former Apprentice star, known for his loud Essex charm and outspoken right-wing views, entered Strictly already fighting a storm. Before he had even set foot on the dancefloor, the internet was ablaze with fury. Viewers blasted the BBC for giving a platform to a man who had publicly praised Donald Trump and Nigel Farage. “He doesn’t represent what Strictly stands for,” one fan fumed on X, while another simply wrote: “Cancel him before week one.”

Then came the meltdown. At a press event, Skinner was accused of snatching a reporter’s phone and storming out after spotting private messages urging the journalist to ask him about “a scandal from his past”. That scandal exploded days later — when fans discovered he had cheated on his wife Siobhan just weeks after their 2022 wedding.

The revelation sent social media into overdrive. For a family-friendly Saturday night show, it was a PR nightmare. Calls to remove him grew louder, and one BBC insider admitted: “Producers were terrified he’d become the new ‘villain’ of Strictly.”

Despite the noise, Skinner took to the dancefloor alongside his professional partner Amy Dowden, performing a fiery Paso Doble and an ambitious Salsa. But instead of praise, he was ridiculed. Judge Craig Revel Horwood sneered that he looked like he was “competing in a weightlifting contest in Skegness.” The audience laughed; Twitter didn’t. When Skinner landed in the bottom two and was sent home after just one week, the internet erupted again — half celebrating, half pitying him.

Appearing on It Takes Two after his elimination, the Romford businessman was uncharacteristically humble. “Let’s have it right,” he said, forcing a grin. “I move like a fridge. I tried, but I wasn’t good enough.” It was a rare glimpse of vulnerability from a man who has built his entire persona on confidence and bravado.

But while his journey ended on the dancefloor, the drama continued off-screen. Hours after his elimination was filmed, Skinner was spotted outside The Thatchers pub in Brentwood, Essex, laughing with friends, clutching a wad of cash and puffing cigarettes between pints. Dressed in a flat cap and an American flag jacket, he looked every bit the unapologetic Essex lad — and didn’t seem remotely bothered by the public humiliation. “Had a blast,” he reportedly told pals. “Didn’t last long, but bosh — that’s life.”

Behind the laughter, though, things weren’t so simple. Friends say Skinner has been “deeply shaken” by the backlash. The businessman — who once called himself “the voice of working-class Britain” — has reportedly received online death threats since joining Strictly, forcing producers to bring in extra security, including a former bodyguard of Spider-Man star Tom Holland.

In an interview after his exit, Skinner confessed that his biggest regret wasn’t his dancing, but the pain his family had to relive. “It took a long time for my wife to forgive me,” he told the Daily Mail. “Seeing it all dragged back up was horrible. But she said it wouldn’t break us. She told me she loves me to pieces, and I love her.”

His partner Amy Dowden, who recently returned to the show after battling cancer, praised him as “an absolute beginner with heart”. “He worked so hard,” she said. “He’s not an actor, not a performer — just a bloke giving it everything.”

But online, sympathy was scarce. Critics accused him of using his “dad with a beer belly” charm to dodge accountability. “You can’t dance your way out of a cheating scandal,” one viewer wrote. Others, however, defended him, calling him “the most honest contestant Strictly’s ever had”.

Whether you see him as a misunderstood everyman or a self-inflicted casualty of fame, one thing is clear — Thomas Skinner didn’t just lose a dance competition; he walked straight into Britain’s culture war. And in true Skinner fashion, he’s still smiling through the chaos, pint in hand, daring anyone to tell him otherwise.