Strictly Come Dancing returned last night with all eyes on love rat Thomas Skinner as it was revealed he had been partnered with one of the nation’s sweethearts, Amy Dowden.
The Apprentice star, who stormed out of the series’ first press event, has found himself at the centre of headlines after admitting to cheating on his wife just weeks after their wedding in May 2022. Claiming the ‘two week fling’ was a ‘moment of madness’.
Now in what insiders say is a sign BBC bosses are keen for him to win, Saturday’s glitzy launch saw him paired with professional dancer Amy who makes her return to the dancefloor following her battle with breast cancer.
A friend of Skinner’s told The Mail on Sunday: ‘He is terrified, absolutely terrified of dancing. He had no idea how good or bad he might be.
‘But he has also now got one of the best high-profile pros. It’s a huge sign that the BBC are behind him.’
Welsh dancer Amy, 35, was partnered with JB Gill during last year’s series, however had to withdraw from the competition due to injury.
Meanwhile, on last night’s show Skinner, 34, gave a shoutout to his three children and wife in his introduction video as he revealed they will be watching every week at home.
Speaking to Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman he admitted he feels like the ‘underdog’ of the competition: ‘I am buzzing to be here, what an opportunity.
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Scandal hit Strictly RETURNS: Thomas Skinner’s dance partner is revealed as Amy Dowden as the Apprentice star hits the floor for the first time amid cheating scandal
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Now in what insiders say is a sign BBC bosses are keen for him to win, Saturday’s glitzy launch saw him paired with professional dancer Amy
‘I do feel like the underdog, as the only dancing I have done is at weddings after a couple of beers. But I will give it my best and I will learn.’
Of being partnered with Amy, he said: ‘I’m over the moon. Amy is a legend, she’s inspirational.’
Among the other stars hitting the dancefloor this year is Dani Dyer. The Love Island star, 29, is partnered with Nikita Kuzmin after she revealed her mother-in-law predicted who her dance partner would be.
The mum-of-three told the Daily Mail: ‘She said it would be one of two professionals, and she was spot on.’
As Nikita ran through the door she exclaimed: ‘I’m in shock. I just want to learn how to move the hips!’
Emmerdale star Lewis Cope has been paired with Katya Jones after the actor was drafted in as a last minute replacement for Kristian Nair after he was forced to quit the show.
Ross King appeared overjoyed as he swept Jowita Przystał off her feet as he joked: ‘You drew the short straw and you drew the short Scottish person’ as his dancer was revealed.
Stefan Dennis is hitting the floor with fellow Australian Dianne Buswell.
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Dani Dyer and Lewis Cope became the first of this year’s celebrities to find out their professional dance partners in Saturday’s launch show
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The Love Island star, 29, is partnered with Nikita Kuzmin after she revealed her mother-in-law predicted who her dance partner would be
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Emmerdale star Lewis has been paired with Katya Jones after the actor was drafted in as a last minute replacement for Kristian Nair
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Ross King appeared overjoyed as he swept Jowita Przystał off her feet as he joked: ‘You drew the short straw and you drew the short Scottish person’ as his dancer was revealed
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La Voix will be dancing with Aljaž Škorjanec, after the drag performer joked that he was her ‘second choice’
The professional dancer, 36, who recently announced she is expecting a baby boy with boyfriend Joe Sugg, 34, will be the first star to ever compete in the series while pregnant.
Earlier this week insiders voiced concerns for Dianne’s wellbeing amid Strictly’s ‘gruelling 10-hour rehearsals’.
But Dianne is said to be ‘taking it at her own pace’ with ‘regular breaks’.
An insider told Daily Mail: ‘There are duty of care and welfare measures in place for everyone working on Strictly.
‘As with all sessions, there will have been regular breaks and rest/warm-up periods, and the rehearsal will have been led by Dianne and tailored to the pace of her and her partner.’
La Voix will be dancing with Aljaž Škorjanec, after the drag performer joked that he was her ‘second choice’.
Pretending to storm out the room as Aljaž entered the room, she teased: ‘That’s not who I wanted’ before coming back in to give him a huge hug.
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Vito Coppola will be hoping Ellie is his lucky charm after being paired with Ellie Goldstein for this year’s series
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Last year’s winner Chris McCausland also returned to perform an impressive Waltz
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Vicky joked she was ‘buzzing like an old fridge’ to be on the show
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The gruelling BBC competition has faced scandal after scandal in recent years and this year’s series has been no different
Rugby player Chris Robshaw will take to the floor with Nadiya Bychkova after the sports star admitted he was stepping well out of his “comfort zone” by signing up for the show.
He commented: ‘This is about as far out of my comfort zone as it gets! I’m hoping to take my dad dancing to a whole new level, and my mum can’t wait to drag me along to her Zumba class.
‘Let’s see if a rugby sidestep works in the Cha Cha Cha.’
Vicky Pattison will take to the floor with Kai Widdrington after the star revealed she has no fear of the infamous Strictly curse after tying the knot with her husband Ercan Ramadan last year.
The presenter, who originally found fame on Geordie Shore back in 2011, revealed she manifested her spot on Strictly after she created a vision board.
Amid the pictures of ‘wedding dresses, engagement rings, puppies and houses’ was a picture of ex-Hollyoaks actress and 2017 Strictly star Gemma Atkinson in sequins with Vicky’s head stuck on top.
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Despite mounting pressure to axe him from the line-up, the BB C have stood by Thomas and he addressed the scandal himself in a statement apologising to the journalist
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Ross is fully embracing the glitz and glamour of the show, as he joked he had never been this tanned before
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Vicky Pattison will take to the floor with Kai Widdrington after the star revealed she has no fear of the infamous Strictly curse after tying the knot with her husband Ercan Ramadan last year
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Stefan Dennis is hitting the floor with fellow Australian Dianne Buswell, who is competing this year as the first ever pregnant star
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EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal will also take to the floor with one of this year’s new professionals Julian Caillon
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Rugby player Chris Robshaw will take to the floor with Nadiya Bychkova after the sports star admitted he was stepping well out of his “comfort zone” by signing up for the show
‘I feel like a proper creep,’ she laughs. ‘But I love a bit of manifestation.’
He lifted the glitterball trophy with Coronation Street star Ellie Leach back in 2023, and Vito Coppola will be hoping Ellie is his lucky charm after being paired with Ellie Goldstein for this year’s series.
Ellie is a model, actress and influencer who became the first model with Down syndrome to grace the cover of British Vogue.
She reassured Vito: ‘I can do the splits and cartwheels’.
Former Lioness Karen Carney will swap her football boots for dance shoes as she takes to the floor with Carlos Gu.
Meanwhile Alex Kingston is partnered fan favourite Johannes Radebe after she admitted he was the dancer she was hoping for.
‘He is my number one,’ she told Claudia as the pair beamed together on the sofa.
EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal will also take to the floor with one of this year’s new professionals Julian Caillon after she revealed he was in her ‘top three’ of male professionals.
‘I hope I was number one,’ joked the Australian dancer.
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Ellie is a model, actress and influencer who became the first model with Down syndrome to grace the cover of British Vogue
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Pretending to storm out the room as Aljaž entered the room, she teased: ‘That’s not who I wanted’ before coming back in to give him a huge hug
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Former Lioness Karen Carney will swap her football boots for dance shoes as vshe takes to the floor with Carlos Gu
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Lewis may be a last minute replacement but he is ready to hit the floor with Katya
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YouTube star Georke Clarke has been partnered by this year’s new professional dancer Alexis Warr
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After competing in last year’s Christmas special episode, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is back to see how far he can go in the full thing and the Gladiator star is partnered with Karen Hauer
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Lastly former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will take to the floor with Lauren Oakley
YouTube star Georke Clarke has been partnered by this year’s new professional dancer Alexis Warr.
George has built up a huge following on TikTok with an impressive 152million fans and has 679 thousand on Instagram and will be hoping they all support him by casting their votes.
After competing in last year’s Christmas special episode, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is back to see how far he can go in the full thing and the Gladiator star is partnered with Karen Hauer.
The athlete was the first celeb to be unveiled for this year’s series as he said: ‘After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice! I’m so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I’m ready to give it all I’ve got.
‘I’ll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let’s hope I’m as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track.’
Lastly former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will take to the floor with Lauren Oakley.
The gruelling BBC competition has faced scandal after scandal in recent years and this year’s series has been no different.
Thomas has found himself at the centre of headlines this week after admitting to cheating on his wife just weeks after their wedding in May 2022. Claiming the ‘two week fling’ was a ‘moment of madness’.
However ‘secret mistress’ Amy-Lucy O’Rourke later suggested in an interview with the Daily Mail that their secret relationship lasted three months, during which time he said he was in love with her and unhappy with his wife.
While Thomas’s ‘secret mistress’ has vowed to expose even more about their affair, the star addressed his 700,000 followers on Thursday, in which he referenced the ‘dark shadows’ of life.
Alongside a selfie, he penned: ‘Good Morning You Lovely People!!’.
Thomas continued: ‘Nice early start in the gym finishing up my work out and looking forward to another day of dancing with my wonderful Strictly partner.
‘Remeber [sic]….Never give up, because one day you will look back and be glad you didn’t!
‘Now go smash it! You are ten times stronger than you can ever imagine.
‘Make today your day!! Keep your face pointing to the sunshine and the dark shadows will always fall behind you! Bosh.’
Mere hours earlier, Amy-Lucy had insisted she wasn’t a ‘homewrecker’ after being targeted by trolls.
Meanwhile on her own Instagram Stories on Monday, the aesthetician said: ‘I just wanted to come on and say thank you to everyone for sending me really nice messages.’
‘Obviously I’ve had a few trolls, but their opinions are clearly not important, because the masses can see through his lies.’
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Thomas shocked journalists earlier this month when he grabbed a female reporter’s phone before storming out of the room during an interview, he later took to Instagram to apologise
Amy-Lucy went on to insist that she hasn’t revealed the affair for money or for 15 minutes of fame but instead to make clear how badly she feels she has been treated.
‘No-one knows the full story, the story’s massive the story is insane. I’ve had to give recipes I’ve had to show text messages, phone calls, voice notes, CCTV. There’s message with me saying “I cant believe you’ve done this to me” I’ve proved it.’
Before adding: ‘It’s not about money it’s about speaking my truth and about what Thomas put me though.’
Meanwhile Thomas shocked journalists earlier this month when he grabbed a female reporter’s phone before storming out of the room during an interview.
Despite mounting pressure to axe him from the line-up, the BBC have stood by Thomas and he addressed the scandal himself in a statement apologising to the journalist.
He shared: ‘To set the record straight off the back of yesterday, 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.’
Revealing he felt triggered by the tales of his past, he continued: ‘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.’
Thomas continued: ‘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.’
