Thomas Skinner says he won't be cancelled and insists his marriage is stronger than ever after admitting to an affair with a single mum ahead of his Strictly Come Dancing debut. 

The former Apprentice candidate, 34, has been paired with Welsh ballroom professional Amy Dowden for the latest series of the long-running BBC show, which returned to mainstream TV on Saturday evening.

But Skinner's participation has been overshadowed by a series of bleak headlines after he admitted to cheating on wife Sinead with a woman he met in a pub, just weeks after their wedding. 

The TV personality's political leanings have also sparked backlash across social media after he was pictured attending a barbeque hosted by US President Donald Trump's number two, JD Vance - something he later called a “once-in-a-lifetime” event. 

He now faces fresh claims that his fling was conducted over a period of months - an allegation that appears to contradict Skinner's past insistence that it was a one-off. 

Taking to X on Sunday, hours after hitting the dancefloor with Strictly partner Dowden for the first time, a defiant Skinner insisted he will not be beaten by the ongoing controversy. 

He wrote: 'Life ain’t easy. I’ve been kicked down an called every name under the sun recently and probably some of it I deserve, as yes I ain’t always right. But since I got invited to have a BBQ with JD Vance…. its gone crazy. 

'Certain people are doing everything they can to ruin me. Mainly Faceless accounts givin it large and abusing me, hypocrites making everything political. Now I see people are fumin that I’m on Strictly…. and the funny thing is that the majority of them got “be kind” wrote in their bios. You couldn’t make it up.' 

Skinner, a self-made Essex businessman who found fame after appearing on Lord Sugar's The Apprentice, insisted his strong work ethic will help him whether the storm he's faced online over recent weeks. 

He added: 'Let me tell you this. I won’t be cancelled. I ain’t gonna kill myself like some of you want. I’m still here. I’m still standing. 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. [sic] 

'I built what I got from nothing. I Slept on a pull-out bed on the floor for years cus I never had a bedroom. [sic] Weirdos write rubbish on Wikipedia about my upbringing that ain’t true, but they can’t take away what I’ve built with graft & fight. They call me a grifter, but all I do is work. Day in, day out, graft. 

'And yes, all the political parties have come knockin wanting me to work with them from both the left and right. But I ain’t got no interest in that. I’m not for them. I’m for the people. For the man or woman on the street who just wants to do better in life. For the parent working two jobs to keep the lights on. 

'I get it. I live it. I know the struggles of life. I’m in a fight I can’t win, but I don’t give up. I know what it’s like to not have the rent money at the end of the month. I’ve lived it. That’s why I’ll always stand shoulder to shoulder with the people who graft and struggle but never stop pushing forward. 

'I’m not a millionaire, if I was I wouldn’t be out in my van doing bed deliveries in between training for Strictly. I wouldn’t still be organising my market stall.' 

The former Apprentice contestant originally told the Sun on Sunday that he had a “fling” with “attractive” single mum Amy-Lucy O’Rourke, who gave him a free cosmetic treatment after they met in a pub.

Tearful Skinner, who raises three children with his wife, said in a video interview: 'I’m just so lucky that she 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 added: 'I had a fling, I suppose, it was nothing more than that, it was the one time, it was a mistake, then I woke up feeling absolutely terrible about it.'

Separate sources have since claimed the affair - which took place three and a half years ago - lasted for as long as three months.

But Skinner insists his wife has forgiven him for the indiscretion and they have moved on.

He told X followers: 'I cheated on my wife once over 3 years ago. We moved on from it. She forgave me. We are stronger now; yet my poor wife has to relive it because my past has been dug up to sell stories online. I am the news at the moment. 

'Yes I got arrested several times when I was younger. Yes I was always in trouble. But I’ve turned my life around. Yes I went to a private school cos I worked my a**e off for a scholarship and my parents sacrificed everything. 

'I was brilliant at sports, but I got expelled and ruined my opportunity. Yes I’m dyslexic an my spelling is bad. Yes I’m outspoken. But anyone who says they ain’t made mistakes is a liar. I don’t hide mine. I own them. They made me the man I am today.' 

In a statement to the Daily Mail a spokeswoman for O’Rourke said: “This has been an incredibly stressful chapter in her life.

'She did not have a fling with Mr Skinner, she had a relationship with him.' 

Skinner has previously drawn strong criticism for X posts saying it is “not far-right” to be “flying your flag and loving your country”, and complaining “it ain’t safe out there any more” in London, saying the city is “hostile” and “tense”.

Earlier on Sunday he heaped praise on Strictly partner Amy Dowden, hours after the pair made their first appearance together on the hit show.  

But despite their apparent bond, fans have expressed dismay over the unlikely pairing given Dowden's long awaited return to the show following a series of health setbacks. 

Commenting on social media, one disappointed viewer wrote: 'You deserved better.' 

A second added: 'I am gutted she's got him on her first year back.' 

While a third posted:  'You look amazing Amy. Great to see you back. So sorry you got the short straw with him though.'