'The attention has been difficult': Thomas Skinner's 'resilient' wife breaks silence after Strictly star admitted cheating

It comes after Skinner revealed his affair just weeks after their wedding, describing it as a ‘moment of madness' in a tearful video interview.

The 34-year-old described how he had a ‘fling’ with an ‘attractive’ single mother who gave him a free cosmetic treatment after they met in a pub. He described it as a “moment of madness”.

His wife Sinead, who has three children with the former Apprentice contestant, has told friends the pair "dealt with it back then," insisting the issue is "all in the past".

“This has of course all been upsetting for Sinead," a friend of the mother-of-three told the Sun.

“The attention has been difficult for her as it brings it all back but she is resilient and her family is strong, her marriage is strong.

Read more: 'I’m not going to make it': Jay Slater’s devastating final Snapchat to friend is revealed

Read more: Tom Holland rushed to hospital after Spider-Man stunt goes wrong

“And, as she says, she knew about this more than three years ago and they dealt with the aftermath together back then.

"This is old news to her, she forgave him then."

The source added: "What people probably don’t realise is that Sinead is an incredibly strong woman. Tom has described her as his rock and it is so true, she is.”

The former Apprentice candidate has admitted he cheated on his wife Sinead just weeks after their wedding, when their first child together had already been born.

However, he said she has forgiven him and the pair, who share three children, have "moved forward together".

In a lengthy statement on X, he wrote: "My life ain't perfect.....far from it. I've made big mistakes, I've let people down, and done things I'll always regret in my past.

"The worst was what I did to my wife three and a half years ago.....one stupid moment I'll carry forever. It was nothing more and nothing less despite what is being said. I told her straight away. She had every right to leave me back then, but she forgave me.......and that forgiveness changed my life.

"Since then, we've built a new home, had two more beautiful children, and moved forward together. We are stronger. Family is everything to me. It's what I do everything for.

"But I've noticed I've become a target. Every part of my life is being dragged out..... even my families. People around me have been offered BIG money to sell stories. And I've noticed I'm being portrayed as public enemy number 1. They're trying to break me and get me cancelled."

Skinner said that he has got a "thick skin", adding: "The abuse and death threats don't bother me. In fact some lies make me laugh."

He continued: "I've got an extremely chequered past... more than most. I've never shied away from that. I've made mistakes and if you dig you'll find more. But here's the truth: most people have made mistakes.

"It's okay to own up to them, it's okay to talk about them and people do deserve second chances."

Skinner first revealed he cheated on his wife in The Sun On Sunday when he said he met an "attractive woman" who "offered me some kind of cosmetic slimming treatments."

He said their affair, which happened shortly after their May 2022 wedding, when they already had a son Henry, now four, was "a brief moment of madness".

The couple also now have twin girls, Darla and Roma, two.

However, the woman in question has also spoken out and described him as her ‘boyfriend,’ adding that they saw each other for three months.

"We were originally friends but with his sweet-talking and his lies, he made me believe we were in love and that we were perfect for each other. He would stand in the mirror with me and say, 'Look, we’ll be Mr and Mrs Skinner'," Amy-Lucy O'Rourke said.

Thomas told The Sun this weekend: "I’m just so lucky that [Sinead] forgave me.

"When I told my wife, I fully understood if she were to never speak to me again. It just shows you that 10 minutes can just ruin your whole life.

He admitted he has made "big mistakes", adding: "If you dig you'll find more."