Tom Skinner issues statement over claims he sued BBC for alleged Strictly fix

Strictly Come Dancing star Thomas Skinner has sensationally accused the BBC of rigging the vote to ensure he had a speedy exit on the show.

The wheeler-dealer turned reality star, 34, was the first celebrity to be eliminated on this year's series - and he claims it had nothing to do with his dodgy salsa dancing.

Reports emerged claiming that he was gearing up for a court showdown with the broadcaster, as he believes that his early exit from Strictly was all part of a well-choreographed plan by BBC bosses. This has been strongly denied.

And yesterday (20 December), Skinner shared a lengthy statement on social media explaining that he has sought 'legal advice' after allegedly receiving an 'anonymous' tip-off which claimed the numbers had been fudged.

The former The Apprentice star suspects he was promptly given the boot due to unfavourable headlines being written about him.

Skinner says he has sought 'legal advice' as he suspects his early exit from Strictly was orchestrated by show bosses (PA)

According to the BBC, the Strictly scoring system works by combining the number of votes made by viewers with the points awarded by the judges.

They stated: "No couple is guaranteed to be safe on Judges' votes alone, however, and the viewers' votes can always influence the outcome.

"This means each week any couple can face or be saved from the dance off with the public vote. In the event of a tie, the viewers' votes will take precedence over the Judges' scoring."

The number of public votes each couple receives is never disclosed by the BBC, but Skinner seems to think he received more than was suggested.

He was partnered with pro Amy Dowden MBE during his short-lived stint on Strictly with all four judges voting to send them home in the dance-off.

With reports he is suing and has sought legal advice, a spokesperson for the BBC has said they are not aware of any legal complaint in relation to this and made it clear that the public vote is 'overseen by a specialist team' which is 'completely separate to Strictly Come Dancing'. The votes are then independently verified.

In a long statement shared on X hours before the live Strictly final aired, Skinner explained his absence and why he suspected the voting was supposedly rigged.

He claims to have received an anonymous email claiming that the vote was 'rigged' (BBC)

He explained he was 'buzzing' to be asked to join Strictly because he wanted to 'test himself' and 'learn something completely out of my comfort zone'.

Delving into the vote rigging allegations, Skinner wrote: "On the night I left the show, I received an anonymous email claiming to be from a BBC exec with stats, saying I’d received far more votes than it appeared and it wasn’t right.

"I’ve since had the email independently verified. That same email mentioned the BBC was very angry and nervous simply because I had met JD Vance (USA VICE PRESIDENT).

"Let me be clear, I’m not a political bloke. Never have been. I just love my country and am patriotic. I’ve been made out by the press to be this political figure. If anyone was to get an opportunity like what I did, they would have taken it."

He continued: "I have asked to see the official voting figures to back up the ones I was sent in the email, but was told they couldn’t be shown to me. And have never been shown in the history of the show.

"I have spoke about the email I had received to senior people and the BBC welfare team, who btw I genuinely respect. And they was the ones who advised me to get legal advice because of how unfair it all was. (This was not my idea)."

Skinner sparked controversy when he posted a picture with Vice President JD Vance in August this year (X/@iamtomskinner)

He claimed his reputation suffered because of 'media stories over the summer that simply [weren't] true or [were] exaggerated', which he said wasn't 'fair' on him or his family.

"I didn’t want any of this in the press either," he continued. "A lot of what’s been written has been exaggerated or untrue about me and I’ve found it hard to take in over the past few months. This is my life, and it’s not nice what has been said about me if I’m honest. But now I’m writing a statement so people know the truth as to why I’m not attending, I don’t want people thinking I am bitter when I ain’t. I don’t want more stories being wrote that ain’t true."

He added that he's not 'kicking off for attention' as he said: "I’m not saying I should’ve won either. I was rubbish at dancing, we all know that. I just believe in fairness and respect."

A spokesperson for the BBC told LADbible: "Strictly Come Dancing's public vote is independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy every week. Any claims to the contrary are entirely without foundation. Unfortunately, despite requests for it, Mr Skinner is yet to share the email he references with anyone from the BBC so we are unable to comment on it."

Regarding him also claiming that he was the only person not to receive a 'welcome gift' on the show, the spokesperson added: "The Strictly Come Dancing production team categorically did not supply ‘welcome gifts’ to any of the cast."

A spokesperson for PromoVeritas, the company which independently verifies the public vote, said: "All votes are independently and comprehensively verified by two auditors. We can confirm that all votes received are validated. This has been the case every week."

LADbible Group has contacted Skinner's representatives for further clarification.