'I starred on Strictly and Thomas Skinner has been paired with Amy for a reason'

Brendan Cole - once dubbed the bad boy of the Strictly ballroom - has given his take on the BBC's controversial signing Thomas Skinner.

Brendan, who was known for his no-nonsense approach to the judging panel and for regularly sparring with his critics during his time on the show, advised Skinner it would do 'no good to worry about the opinions of Strictly fans.'

"People either like you or they hate you," he insisted.

Thomas, who has proven to be outspoken so far, will be right at home on the diva-centric Saturday night show, says Brendan.

"Very few people on television are just ‘meh’, and Tom Skinner is not ‘meh’. Tom wants to be talked about, he wants to be seen, he wants to create that havoc and energy.

"Viewers are either going to get behind him and say, “He’s great, this is brilliant TV,” or they’ll go, “I can’t stand you, get off my screen.” My suspicion is it’ll be the latter," predicts Brendan.

Former professional dancer Brendan - who won the show with newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky in 2004 - said BBC bosses knew what they were doing when they paired Skinner with Amy Dowden.

READ MORE: Thomas Skinner says 500 fans queued up for selfies with him after slamming Strictly trolls

"She’s been made out to be the sweet “Strictly princess,” and pairing her with someone as brash and loud as Tom gives you that yin and yang dynamic. Perhaps the thinking was that it might help him stay in a bit longer," says Brendan.

Despite getting off to a rocky start, former Apprentice star Thomas told viewers he 'won't be going anywhere' in a fiery post after the launch show aired on BBC One on Saturday night.

"I see people are fumin that I’m on Strictly," he fired. "Let me tell you this. I won’t be cancelled....Trust me when I say this; I am stronger than people think. Every insult, every lie, every attack….it don’t break me, it builds me stronger."

Thomas came under fire after admitting to having an affair just weeks after his 2023 wedding. He then stoked further controversy by snatching a reporter's phone and storming out of an interview during his first day of press for Strictly.

The Essex pillow salesman reached boiling point after claiming to spot a story about himself on the reporter's phone.

While viewers are yet to have their say on Thomas until the vote opens this Saturday, Brendan - who is working with skyvegas.com - predicts one couple already look like they will be safe for the coming weeks.

“I'm going to enjoy watching Harry [Aikines-Aryeetey] (Nitro) – the pair of them [Harry and Karen Hauer] looked fantastic out on the floor. We all like beauty – you don't buy art that's not pretty and put it on your wall. You buy stuff that's lovely, and you put it on your wall because you want to look at it. Nitro and Karen are going to look good," he said.

Brendan is currently on tour with James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite for their 'The Return of the Legends' theatre tour.

Giving his expert take on the first episode of the series, Brendan was critical of the show's direction.

“The opening dance number itself was interesting, again not really my cup of tea, but it was big and ambitious. They probably spent a hundred grand on that staircase! If that’s what they want, fine, but I don’t think it came across particularly well.

“Overall though, I thought the launch show as a whole was very strong.”