Ex-lover warns Thomas Skinner’s strictly partner as cheating scandal overshadows debut

Strictly Come Dancing returns this weekend with its glittering launch, but one celebrity contestant is already at the centre of controversy. Thomas Skinner, the businessman best known from The Apprentice, has admitted to a fling behind his wife’s back — and now the woman involved has issued a blunt warning to his new dance partner.

Amy-Lucy O’Rourke, a 35-year-old beautician, claims she was drawn into a three-month affair with Skinner shortly after his May 2022 wedding to wife Sinead. The revelation has stunned fans and cast a shadow over his Strictly debut.

O’Rourke told the Daily Mail she pities whoever is paired with Skinner on the BBC ballroom hit. “I feel sorry for whoever has to spend hours training him for the show, and I wonder what version of him they will meet,” she said.

Her comments come after Skinner described the fling as a “moment of madness” during an emotional interview. Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, the 33-year-old said he confessed everything to his wife. “I felt so guilty – I told my wife. I let her down in that brief moment of madness where I wasn’t thinking,” he admitted.

Skinner insisted that his family means everything to him and that his wife’s forgiveness saved their marriage. “My wife is the best thing that’s ever happened. I’m so lucky she forgave me,” he said. “It was the worst thing I’ve ever had to do. It was terrible.”

But O’Rourke has painted a very different picture of their relationship, accusing Skinner of manipulation and dishonesty. She claimed he repeatedly told her she was the “love of his life” and even fantasised aloud about them being married. “He would stand in the mirror with me and say, ‘Look, we’ll be Mr and Mrs Skinner’. That is actually traumatising to me,” she said.

Her allegations have ignited debate around Skinner’s involvement in the popular show, with some fans recalling the so-called “Strictly curse” that has ended marriages in previous series. O’Rourke’s warning has only fuelled speculation about how his dance floor journey may unfold.

The scandal broke just as the BBC announced the full celebrity line-up. Alongside Skinner, this year’s cast includes EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, TV presenter Ross King, Gladiators favourite Nitro, Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis, and former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. For Skinner, the timing could hardly be worse.

Despite the fallout, he insists he is excited about joining the show. When his place in the line-up was confirmed, he said: “I’m so looking forward to it, I’m excited, I’m buzzing. I cannot dance but I’m going to learn how to dance, I’m going to try and win it.”

The Essex entrepreneur added that Strictly is a family favourite in his household. “It’s my mum’s favourite show, my mum absolutely loves it,” he explained. “I told a couple of my mates, none of them believed me. It’s something completely out of my comfort zone. I’m going to be putting on the outfits, learning how to dance and just try my best.”

For O’Rourke, however, the scars remain. She has spoken openly about feeling deceived and betrayed, calling Skinner “nothing but a liar and a cheat”. Her words ensure that, whatever happens on the dance floor, controversy will follow him into the Strictly spotlight.

As the glitterball spins and the nation tunes in, the scandal threatens to overshadow the sparkle. Whether audiences will embrace Skinner as an underdog dancer or condemn him for his personal failings remains to be seen