Tom Skinner reveals he was paid £50k to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, and lifts lid on JD Vance meeting
The former Apprentice star said half of the money went to helping the homeless at Christmas
Reality star Thomas Skinner has told LBC that he was paid £50,000 to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.
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Skinner and his professional partner Amy Dowden were the first pair voted off the show in the Autumn after losing out in the dance off.
Speaking to LBC's Tom Swarbrick, the 34-year-old said he was paid the five-figure sum, half of which he planned to spend half on helping the homeless at Christmas, and the other half to go on holiday with.
He said: "I'll be completely straight with you, I got 50 grand to do that show. I thought wow, 50 grand to do that show a month before Christmas, lovely.
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"Every single year I post on Twitter where we go out and help the homeless and go and give out a thousand blankets.
"Every year we give out weighted waterproof blankets and they cost a fortune.
"I thought you know what, after getting a bit of dough, I can pay for those blankets and use the other half to go on holiday with.
"I thought it'd be out first anyway, but I didn't thought it'd be this massive thing that it went into."
Contestants usually earn a flat rate of £25,000, with payments increasing for each stage they reach.
Asked if he regretted doing the show, Skinner said: "Yeah in a certain way.
Absolutely Fantastic turn out for the walk today supporting men’s mental health. We have just got back to the pub and enjoying a nice chat and cuppa tea. Fantastic to see fellas from all over the gaff and support one another. Look forward to the next one on Sunday next week.… pic.twitter.com/4Zgo0JOuBM
— Thomas Skinner ⚒ (@iamtomskinner) January 11, 2026
"Strictly is the BBC's flagship show. It's a brilliant show. It brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. I am not going to knock it.
"I thought it'd be a fun one thing to learn how to dance. Out of it, I made some really good friends.
"I've made good friends on that show and good contacts, but I am not your typical liberal person the show celebrates.
"I did get a little bit of stick because I also went out for a barbecue the day before I got announced a Strictly with the Vice President of the United States of America, so it wasn't the cleverest idea.
"It started a bonfire with left-wing journalists that instantly took a dislike to me because they thought I'd ruin their Saturday night."
Discussing his BBQ with Mr Vance, Skinner revealed the pair had "about ten pints of beer" and discussed "states in the USA and United Kingdom" and football.
He added: "He's a very, very down to earth normal man. Lovely family man.
"You might not politically agree with someone, but he was a good person and we had a right good crack."
The former Apprentice star joined Tom to discuss his new Sunday Walking Club, an initiative to encourage men to discuss their mental health.
Asked where the idea came from, he said: "Blokes don't talk enough, Tom.
"We go out, we go to work. We've got the pressures of life. We might have a cheeky beer on a Friday night, but even that's getting double dear.
Lads, I’m starting a Sunday Walking Club because I genuinely want to help people and I love walking.
— Thomas Skinner ⚒ (@iamtomskinner) January 2, 2026
We’re meeting at The Thatchers Arms (CM13 3HU) at 8am this Sunday and going for a long walk….. no running, no pressure, just fresh air and moving ya body.
It’s a chance to get… pic.twitter.com/KKW012sF2a
"What we do is we take the bottle it out and we don't let it out. Now, me and my mate Robert Isee, who is the UK's number one mind therapist, go on a little walk near where we live in Brentwood and Essex, [in the] beautiful countryside.
"We've been doing it for a little while and we just thought, we're getting a lot out of this, we're going out for a walk, we're having a nice talk. I feel like people will benefit now."