Thomas Skinner’s wife, Sinead, has spoken out at last, acknowledging the past week has been “upsetting” but insisting their marriage remains solid despite the Strictly Come Dancing furore. Skinner, who made his Strictly debut on Saturday, recently admitted he cheated on Sinead just weeks after their 2022 wedding. He says she forgave him, and the couple — parents to three children — have “moved forward together.”
A source close to Sinead said the renewed attention has been difficult because “it brings it all back,” but stressed she is “resilient” and that “her family is strong, her marriage is strong.” The insider added that Sinead “knew about this more than three years ago and they dealt with the aftermath together back then,” describing her as “an incredibly strong woman,” and repeating Tom’s own description of his wife as “his rock.”
Skinner addressed the saga in a candid social post, telling followers: “It’s been a hard couple of weeks for me and family. What I’ve learned is my wife is unbelievable.” His personal life came under intense scrutiny after he admitted to an affair with Essex beautician Amy-Lucy O’Rourke. While he has characterised it as a one-off fling, Amy-Lucy disputes that version, claiming they had a three-month romance and alleging he told her his relationship with Sinead “was a sham,” that he had “never told Sinéad he loved her,” and that he had “never felt about anyone how he felt” about her.
As the pre-recorded Strictly launch aired, fans discovered Tom had been paired with popular professional Amy Dowden — and a wave of backlash followed online. “They actually put Amy with him. Hasn’t she been through enough? WTF BBC,” raged one viewer on X, while another wrote: “WHO DID THAT TO AMY? We need to have some big big words.” Others posted, “Poor Amy. She is really due a break,” and “Amy, I salute you — hang on in there.”
On the show, Tom pushed back against the noise and praised his partner, saying he was “over the moon” to be dancing with Amy. The former Apprentice star is one of fifteen celebrities vying for the Glitterball this series and admits he has “never danced in my life other than at weddings,” but says he is “beyond excited” to give it everything.
