One former Strictly Come Dancing star will not be reuniting alongside his fellow contestants on this Saturday’s grand final
17:49, 17 Dec 2025
One star will not be returning to Strictly Come Dancing for the final. Apprentice star, Thomas Skinner, 34, was the first to be voted out of the BBC Saturday night favourite alongside professional partner alongside Amy Dowden earlier this year but it is tradition for all previous contestants to return for the grand finale.
But the TV star already has a prior commitment so cannot attend the live recording of Strictly on Saturday, although Amy will be back to dance with her fellow ballroom stars.
It has been revealed that Thomas has a prior commitment at the weekend and thus will not be in Saturday’s Class of 2025 group dance. Amy Dowden will be part of the routine alongside the other celebs and pros.
READ MORE: Strictly’s Amber Davies bursts into tears on air as Nikita Kuzmin rushes to comfort herREAD MORE: Strictly’s Amy Dowden reveals future on show after cancer heartbreak saying ‘don’t worry’Thomas Skinner will not be back for the final, but Amy Dowden will be (Image: BBC)
Other stars who appeared on the series this year included Geordie Shore legend Vicky Pattison, Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope and Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston. It is expected that they will all make a return to the dancefloor, alongside other former contestants like drag queen La Voix, showbiz guru Ross King and Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey amongst a host of others.
In the weeks leading up to the series, Thomas stirred up a storm over his behaviour off the dancefloor. Thomas faced backlash over his social media posts, notably a selfie with Vice US President JD Vance.
He then caused outrage when he stormed out of the press launch for Strictly and snatched a journalist’s phone. Then, an affair was uncovered as Thomas admitted to cheating on his wife just weeks after their wedding.
By the time Strictly launched, Thomas had hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons and his pairing with beloved Strictly dancer Amy saw him face more divide. The Mirror also revealed one of his firms hasn’t paid back a £50,000 Covid bounce back loan.
This Saturday, West End star Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin will be competing against YouyTuber George Clarke, Alexis Warr, and Lioness Karen Carney, and Carlos Gu in the final. The star, who was ushered in as a last minute replacement after fellow Love Island winner Dani Dyer sustained an injury, recently became emotional as she reflected on her time on the show.
The businessman had a controversial time on the show (Image: Isabel Infantes/PA)He was voted out first after dancing to Dizzee Rascal song Bonkers (Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)
During a chat on It Takes Two, she coudn’t hold back the tears as she said: “It makes me wanna cry, honestly. I can’t believe I’m here, just the way that we started. I had this random phone call on a Wednesday night, to being in the final and having the best 12 weeks of my life.” Amber couldn’t hold it together, and through tears, she added: “I’m just over the moon. I don’t want it to be over. Have we got any tissues?”
But Amber, who has received several perfect scores during her time on the programme, still had to fight for her place in the final after coming up against EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal in the dance off.
Speaking about her time on the show, Balvinder said: “I’ve absolutely adored every single minute. All the dance-offs, all the challenges, but just more than anything, just being in this building and dancing on this floor with such an amazing human being. It was my Yes Year, and I said yes to Strictly. My family, we’ve had some hard times, but they’ve been here.”
Julian Caillon also spoke highly of his dance partner as he insisted that she is exactly what the show is supposed to be about.
He said: “I just think that Bal embodies what this competition is about. Her spirit is unbreakable, and [to Bal] you have shown me that I’m actually dreaming too small, and Bal can inspire us that whatever any of us want in life, all you have to have is the desire to go after it. It took six dance-offs and a perfect score to take this lady out, so I am so, so proud of you!”
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