Strictly pro Amy Dowden has denied that she was paired with Apprentice star Thomas Skinner on the 2025 series to “protect her health”, given assumptions he might not stay in the competition very long and therefore Dowden would not be pushed too hard physically.After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and facing a number of serious health problems in the years that followed, the Welsh dancer returned to the competition in 2025 with an intention to compete at her full health once again.Her pairing with Skinner, a divisive internet personality, raised some eyebrows due to his public support for Donald Trump and JD Vance, leading to calls for Skinner to be removed from the show. In the end, the pair were the first to be eliminated from the series after failing to garner enough public votes.Thomas Skinner had been visibly frustrated by low scores on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ (BBC)Speaking in a new interview, Dowden admitted that she’d been disappointed that being paired with Skinner, who had said he was not a natural dancer, meant her Strictly return had been cut short.“You know, he said when he came in that he wasn’t a dancer, but he worked really hard,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “Obviously, I was gutted, selfishly, because I’d wanted to prove that after a cancer diagnosis you can come back and do well.”While Skinner was the first celebrity to be voted out of the competition, Dowden insisted that she hadn’t been paired with Skinner to protect her health.She said: “No, they knew I was back to full fitness. And my medical team had given them the go-ahead. I’d just come off two back-to-back tours and spent the summer learning all of the professional group numbers.” Dowden added that she thought her pairing with Skinner was an effort “to show more of my fun side”.The Independent has contacted Skinner’s representatives for comment.Dowden’s cancer meant she had been unable to compete on Strictly in 2023, and while she did return to the ballroom in the 2024 series to dance with JLS star JB Gill, she was forced to leave the competition early after breaking her foot.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.The pair (middle) were the first couple to live the 2025 series (BBC)Skinner was mired by numerous controversies ahead of the start of the 2025 Strictly series, and even walked out of a press event before the series kicked off.Skinner and Dowden got to dance together twice on the Strictly live shows before the public vote opened, finding themselves third from bottom of the leaderboard in the first week and bottom in the second.Facing the chop in episode two, Dowden spoke highly of the reality TV star, saying: “We’ve laughed so much. We’ve worked so hard and a glitterball would have been amazing, but what I’ve learnt in the last few years is happiness, health and being alive is more important than anything.”But while Strictly’s eliminated contestants traditionally return for a group number in the show’s final, Skinner did not. Instead, he shared a lengthy post on X claiming to have proof the Strictly vote had been rigged against him. The BBC denied this allegation at the time.Dowden remained diplomatic while speaking about Skinner (Getty)Since then, Dowden has remained diplomatic about her time working with Skinner, and said in the new interview that she’d “absolutely” been sad to see him say that he’d regretted being on the show.“But I think he’s only ever spoken highly about me,” she said. “Tom was really kind and respectful in the studio with me and that’s all I can go on.”While Skinner had insisted that he was “not political” prior to his Strictly appearance, he shared publicly that he had joined Reform in January.In March, Skinner found himself at the centre of controversy once again after he appeared on Question Time. At the time, Skinner insisted that he wasn’t there to represent Reform UK, but rather because of the £2,000 fee he claimed he’d been offered.However, the BBC denied this was the case, with a spokesperson telling The Independent that Question Time offers a £150 fee to non-politician panellists, while it doesn't pay elected politicians at all.