Overview

• The Apprentice alumnus told The Times he is being paid £10,000 to appear on Strictly, a figure a BBC publicist cautioned should not be taken as his full fee.
• Skinner said money is not his motivation and called joining the BBC ballroom series “an absolute honour.”
• He described the August visit with US Vice President J.D. Vance as a non-political barbecue in the Cotswolds focused on light conversation.
• The 34-year-old reiterated his 2012 conviction for handling stolen goods and said the sentence and community service helped him turn his life around with support from his wife, Sinéad.
• After apologizing for grabbing a journalist’s phone and leaving a press day, he remains scheduled to appear when the new series launches next Saturday.