Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has spoken of her devastation after the death of her beloved dance teacher, while also expressing sadness that her former celebrity partner Thomas Skinner missed the show's grand finale.
A Personal Bereavement Overshadows Return
The 35-year-old dancer appeared on ITV's Lorraine on Monday, speaking to stand-in host Christine Lampard, 46. Dowden revealed her mind was 'elsewhere' following the loss of Phillip Perry, her dance teacher who she described as 'like a second dad'.
Phillip Perry passed away on his wife's birthday, with a grieving Dowden stating she owed her 'entire dancing career' to him. Her appearance came just days after this personal tragedy and shortly after she returned to the BBC ballroom this year following her 2023 breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
'Gutted' Skinner Missed the Finale
Discussing her short-lived partnership with The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, 34, Dowden said she was 'gutted' he wasn't present for Saturday's final, which was won by former footballer Karen Carney and pro dancer Carlos Gu.
'The last time I spoke to him was on Thursday,' Dowden told Lampard. 'He didn't mention it. Sent me some messages... I was just gutted Thomas missed out on what was an incredibly fun, exciting final. I would have loved for him to be there.'
Skinner and Dowden were the first pair eliminated from the 2024 series, scoring a lowly 29 out of 80 before landing in the bottom two against ex-rugby player Chris Robshaw.
Voting Row and Legal Threats Unravel
Skinner's absence from the final followed his sensational claim that the BBC had 'rigged' the public vote to oust him first, a claim for which he reportedly sought legal advice. However, these allegations appear to have been severely undermined by new data.
An independent exit poll conducted by Strictly Spoiler, surveying 125,000 viewers, placed Skinner's public support at just 1.4% – the lowest of all contestants. He received a mere 1,805 votes in the poll, which is separate from the official BBC tally.
A source told The Mirror the poll offered 'clear evidence of his unpopularity', adding: 'There is no conspiracy. These are the cold, hard facts.'
In response to the rigging claims, a BBC spokesperson stated: '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.'
PromoVeritas, the company that independently verifies the vote, also confirmed all votes are 'comprehensively verified by two auditors'.
Further fallout for Skinner includes reports he has parted ways with his talent agency, Insanity, who also manage stars like Roman Kemp. This follows the controversy surrounding his signing, which was already contentious due to his Right-wing views and was exacerbated when he admitted to cheating on his wife, Sinead, weeks after their May 2022 wedding.
In a since-deleted statement, Skinner expressed regret over doing the show, saying it had 'brought a huge amount of negative attention'. He insisted his only positive was making a 'new friend' in Amy Dowden and claimed he was still on 'good terms' with the BBC.
