By Stephanie Colderick

Copyright walesonline

Strictly Come Dancing is back and there is already controversy surrounding one of this year’s contestants. Many were surprised when The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner was named as one of the celebrities and in the lead up to the show’s 2025 debut, he has already walked out of a press conference for the series. Thomas will join the other celebrities, including former Olympian and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, reality TV star Dani Dyer and soap star Balvinder Sopal as they compete for the glitterball. He will take to the floor for the first on Saturday, September 20 on BBC One. Here is everything you need to know about Thomas, before he takes to the dancefloor. Thomas has spoken candidly about his past in which he was convicted of handling £40,000 of stolen goods, saying he was “put in situations he didn’t fully understand” when he was younger. The Sun newspaper revealed he was charged in 2011 with dishonestly handling 4,992 tubes of Body Shop cleansing gels, reportedly worth nearly £40,000 and having 2,000 diazepam tablets, and was later sentenced in court. His conviction has now been spent. Thomas said: “Many years ago before I had my business, I used to work on the markets. I was young and naive and bought stock from a source I didn’t know. “I wasn’t aware the stock was stolen and paid the consequences for the mistake I made. That is now well in my past, and I have had a string of successful companies since then. “I now only buy from trusted sources and employ five people. I was put in situations I didn’t fully understand when I was younger.” as reported by Metro. Earlier this year Skinner was criticised for his past when he witnessed four people stealing food from Greggs while he was in there buying coffees. But, the businessman hit back saying he’s owned his mistakes and worked his way to success from humble beginnings. On X at the time he wrote: “Still finding it mad that people are actually having a go at me on Twitter because I pointed out that Greggs got robbed whilst I was in there. And then bringing up my past. Yes I did get arrested when I was younger, in fact I get arrested several times. And been charged and paid the price for my convictions. I wrote a book about it. “I never had my own bedroom at one point when I was younger and slept on a pull out bed on the floor. I never had any money or had anything given to me on a plate, yet I turned my life around. I go around schools/colleges/universities telling my story hoping I can inspire others.” He continued: “I’m no hero. I’m just a hard worker. I’ve made mistakes, in fact more than most, who hasn’t made one? I now try to spread positivity. I’ve been stabbed when I was younger because of what I got up to and that’s why I try help with my knife crime campaign at my gym. “People need to get in the real world and see that there is a problem in this country. And we can fix it if we stick together. Bosh.” Thomas has controversial friends and is a supporter of Donald Trump. In August 2025 Thomas met US vice president JD Vance for a barbecue and called it a “once-in-a-lifetime” event. The pair previously chatted on social media before meeting “in the beautiful English countryside”, where Mr Vance was holidaying in the Cotswolds. After the meeting, Thomas wrote on X: “Unreal night with JD and his friends and family. He was a proper gent. Lots of laughs and some fantastic food. A brilliant night, one to tell the grand kids about.” He shared a picture of himself and the US vice president in a later post, with Thomas dressed up in a shirt and tie while Mr Vance was wearing a polo shirt. He said: “Here is a pic of Me and Vice President @JDVance towards the end of the night after a few beers I’m overdressed in my suit, but when the VP invites you to a BBQ, you don’t risk turning up in shorts an flip-flops Cracking night in the beautiful English countryside with JD, his friends and family. Once in a lifetime. Bosh.” Mr Vance had previously voiced support for Thomas on X after the former The Apprentice star shared he had received “death threats” and “vile comments about my children” following posts in which he claimed “something’s gone wrong” in the UK. Thomas is most famous for and best known for appearing on The Apprentice in 2019, in the fifteenth series. He was known for being loud, very confident, using the term “bosh” which he still uses today and excelling at selling. He was fired by Lord Sugar in week nine. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . In 2020 he appeared in the fifteenth series of Celebrity Masterchef.