Thomas Skinner out after failing to win over public

HE'S a self-styled real-life Del Boy, a cheeky chappy market trader with an everyman appeal.

- BY NICOLA METHVEN

But last night, as Thomas Skinner suffered the humiliation of becoming the first contestant to leave this year's Strictly Come Dancing, it was clear the public weren't nearly as keen on him as he thought.

The former Apprentice contestant, paired with pro Amy Dowden, got his marching orders in a unanimous decision after losing in the dance-off to Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkov.

His attempt to represent all “the dads with beer bellies” had fallen flat.

And for the 34-year-old, who clearly believed he was going to be kept in the competition by votes from his adoring public, that has to have hurt.

To use his own catchphrase: Bosh!

On Saturday's live show, he and Amy performed a salsa to Dizzee Rascal track Bonkers.

Skinner ended up doing very little dancing but an awful lot of carrying Amy around the stage.

"You looked like you were competing in a weightlifting competition in Skegness. It was all just power lifts,” judge Craig Revel Horwood told him.

He added that Skinner's timing was “completely off” and he had “lacked any hip rotation”.