Ex-Strictly Come Dancing contestant Thomas Skinner is allegedly taking legal action against the BBC following his short stint on the show.
It’s said the TV personality, who rose to notoriety on The Apprentice in 2019, is prepared to go up against the broadcaster, claiming he can prove voting was rigged to have him booted out of the competition early doors.
Skinner, 34, was undoubtedly a controversial signing this series, leading to him becoming the first axed contestant in the week 2 dance-off.
He and pro partner Amy Dowden performed just two routines together before the judges unanimously voted to save rugby ace Chris Robshaw and his partner, Nadiya Bychkova, sending Skinner packing before his dance shoes had even been worn in.
Fans of the programme rejoiced at his elimination, with many having voiced disdain for Skinner taking part in the first place, what with his past endorsement of Donald Trump, among other divisive political opinions.
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However, according to reports, Skinner is now determined to have the last laugh.
As claimed by The Sun, the former Celebrity MasterChef contestant believes public support for him was downplayed, with a source telling the publication he wants to ‘take on’ the Beeb.
‘Thomas is adamant he got a larger share of the public vote and believes he has the evidence to prove it,’ they claimed, implying he thinks he should not have been in the bottom two.
‘He is determined to see it through, but there’s no way the BBC will take this sensational claim lying down.
‘They’ll robustly defend any kinds of claims that the voting was rigged or fixed.’
Friends of Skinner’s have said he believes bosses wanted him to get the boot due to the negative headlines the show was attracting with his presence.
No celebrity contestant is eliminated from Strictly in week 1, but all couples do dance. For their paso doble, Skinner and Dowden scored just 16 points out of a potential 40.
Week 1 scores are added to the judges’ scores from week 2, for which Skinner and Dowden received 13 after dancing a salsa.
With just 29 points, they placed second to bottom of the leaderboard, the panel’s scores then combined with public votes to determine who would be in the dance-off.
Strictly Come Dancing never publicly reveals voting percentages or exactly how many votes a couple got.
Metro also understands that the BBC was unaware of Skinner’s alleged plans to take legal action against them.
When contacted for a comment, a BBC spokesperson defended the voting system.
They said simply: ‘Strictly Come Dancing’s public vote is robust and independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy.’
As outlined in the BBC’s guidelines, public votes and competitions must be ‘approved by a senior editorial figure’.
The news comes after today’s earlier confirmation that Skinner would not be returning for the Strictly grand finale this weekend.
This perhaps doesn’t come as a shock to viewers, given how Skinner ended up at the centre of a press storm-out row earlier in the year, as well as admitting to cheating on his wife in the lead-up to the series launch.
Typically, all couples from the series take to the floor one last time for a group number in celebration of the season, which this time marks the end of an era as hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman prepare to bow out.
Who do you want to win Strictly this series?
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Karen and Carlos
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Amber and Nikita
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George and Alexis
But anyone hoping to see Skinner dance again will be disappointed, as, due to a prior commitment, he will be absent.
Dowden, on the other hand, will be returning for one last hurrah, just without her celeb on her arm.
It will then be either Karen Carney, Amber Davies, or George Clarke who is crowned the winner after three dances and a public vote alone decides the outcome.
Skinner is yet to address the latest claims of a BBC legal battle, but he is due back on the channel later this year for The Celebrity Apprentice.
Reps for Thomas Skinner have been contacted for comment.
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs this Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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