Strictly star Thomas Skinner posts defiant message after affair and Covid loan scandals

Thomas Skinner has posted a defiant Instagram message just hours before a live performance, in the wake of his affair and Covid-load scandals.

The 34-year-old businessman and TV personality took to Instagram on Saturday morning, sharing a video of his pre-show workout as he geared up for week one of routines on Strictly Come Dancing. Alongside the clip, he wrote, “HAPPY SATURDAY!!! LIVE SHOW DAY!! TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO!! LOVE YOU ALL. BOSH.”

The happy chap was spotting dancing in his living room with his two daughters, as he began by saying, “Happy Saturday, you lovely people. I just got back from the gym, pumping up the guns for tonight’s show.

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He added, “Listen, tonight I can’t wait. I've got my tan on. I’m going to be like Patrick Swayze after a doner kebab feast. And remember: tough times don’t last last but tough people do. Keep on putting one foot in front of the other and don’t ever give u because you are ten times stronger than you can ever imagine."

Skinner is set to take to the dance floor with professional partner Amy Dowden. The pair will be trying to impress the judges with a fiery Paso Doble to Battle Without Honor or Humanity by Hotei. In recent weeks, the TV star admitted to a fling shortly after marrying his wife Sinéad in 2022.Speaking openly about the affair, he called it the “biggest mistake” of his life.

The relationship was said to have lasted around two weeks, though beauty clinic owner Amy-Lucia O’Rourke later claimed it went on for three month.

He has since hit back at the public backlash, accusing people of trying to “cancel” him. He told PA Media, “I had a fling, I suppose, it was nothing more than that, it was the one time, it was a mistake, then I woke up feeling absolutely terrible about it”.

He also claimed he's developed a thick skin over time, saying, “I've been portrayed as public enemy number 1. The abuse, the lies, the death threats — it’s all been exaggerated.”

He continued, “I’ve got an extremely chequered past… more than most. I’ve never shied away from that. I’ve made mistakes and if you dig you’ll find more. But here’s the truth: most people have made mistakes.

Despite the scandal, he says his marriage has survived the fallout. He revealed that Sinéad forgave him, saying she had every right to leave but chose not to. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said. The couple have since welcomed twins and appear to be moving forward, with Skinner calling it a “fresh start.”

And earlier this week, the Mirror exclusively revealed one of Thomas Skinner’s firms has not paid back a £50,000 Covid bounce back loan - despite the star boasting about turning over “millions” during the pandemic.

The star is at the centre of new controversy over his company finances after it emerged one business applied for the tax-payer-funded Government loan in 2020. Five years on, there is no record of the firm - the Fluffy Pillow Company - which lists Skinner as the sole director - ever paying the loan back.

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