It’s a good job Thomas Skinner has a spring in his step… because, despite his primetime slot on Strictly, he still needs to keep up the day job.
Even though he danced in front of seven million people last night, he is the lowest-paid star of the series.
And his sequins and sparkles were nowhere to be seen as the 34-year-old delivered a mattress to a customer in Harold Hill, Essex, on Thursday morning, which they had ordered from his Bosh Beds company.
Dressed in grey tracksuit bottoms and a black £145 North Face gilet, he lugged the mattress from his white van with help from a colleague, before moving on to deliver three more.
Friends of Mr Skinner say he is only likely to pocket around £15,000 for his stint on the show, so there is ‘no chance of giving up his day job’.
One said: ‘Thomas can’t stop his business running so he has to keep on working, which isn’t always easy.
‘He can’t let his customers down but he is also getting paid a low sum for the show so needs the security of his Bosh Beds income. He isn’t a celebrity as such.
‘He is a businessman who became famous on The Apprentice so he isn’t in the same position as many of his co-stars who can afford to take time out because they are earning a lot more than him on the show.’
Former Apprentice star Thomas Skinner unloads a mattress from the back of a van in EssexÂ
Despite his Strictly appearances, the 34-year-old still needs to keep up his day job
Mr Skinner was pictured carrying a mattress with the help of a fellow employee
Friends of Mr Skinner say as the lowest-paid star of the series he is only likely to pocket around £15,000 for his stint on the show
 A friend of Mr Skinner said: ‘‘He can’t let his customers down but he is also getting paid a low sum for the show so needs the security of his Bosh Beds income. He isn’t a celebrity as such’
Reality TV star Vicky Pattison, 37, is among Strictly’s highest earners thanks to her social media following, as is YouTuber George Clarke, 25.
Mr Skinner took to the dancefloor in week two of the hit BBC competition with professional partner Amy Dowden, 35, performing to Dizzee Rascal’s hit track Bonkers as his wife Sinead proudly watched on from the audience.
However, within seconds of the performance kicking off, fans flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to blast Thomas’s dance skills, exaggerated facial expressions, and his constant tongue movements.
One unimpressed viewer fumed: ‘Watching Tom Skinner try and dance is actually making me feel sick. PUT YOUR TONGUE AWAY PLEASEEE.’
The couple’s risky salsa also went down badly with the judges, who awarded the pair just 13 points – one of the lowest scores of the night.
Amy also admitted she was slightly nervous during rehearsals due to Thomas’s intense ‘concentration face’.
