Strictly Come Dancing star Thomas Skinner reveals unusual training method ahead of show

Since appearing on The Apprenticesix years ago, Thomas Skinnerhas earned himself a legion of fans with his cheeky chappie persona and banter. But the TV personality, 34, who is also famed for his fry-ups, has revealed that he is taking his upcoming TV venture extremely seriously as he plans on staying in Strictly Come Dancing until the final.

So much so, he shared a picture of himself to his social media, which showed him running with a vest on holding 20kg weights in it, while pushing a buggy with his three kids accompanying him.

With his blonde tresses stuck to his forehead, Thomas was clearly pounding the pavements ahead of the start of the BBC dancing show.

Thomas captioned his post saying: "3 kids in the pram….20kg weighted vest on…. Up hill….in the rain….running like a steam train. "

He added: "We are taking the training for Strictly Come Dancing seriously. Doing it for the pint drinking, kebab eating dads out there with the beer belly’s. We got this. Bosh (heart emoji)."

Speaking about being part of this year's celebrity line-up, he explained to listeners on Hits Radio: "It's my mum's favourite show, I'm going to be putting on the outfits and trying my best."

Aside from building up his stamina, the reality TV star has also swapped his beloved fry up breakfasts for a healthier option.

Taking to his Instagram, he told his followers: "Swapped the fry up for salmon and eggs this morning."

Before news emerged of who will be joining this year's line-up, speculation was rife. But as soon as Thomas was given the green light by Strictly bosses, he wasted no time in teasing his fans.

Posting a picture of his lunch at his local café, he used his potato alphabet to spell out the word Strictly, unveiling that he was set to take part and fans cottoned on straight away. He had spelt out the name of the show which sat on the rim of his plate, accompanied by a pie, chips, beans and mixed vegetables.

And while his fans would have been jumping for joy, Thomas' inclusion upset some due to his past conviction of handling stolen goods, a crime which he was punished for and openly wrote about in his book.

The crime occurred in 2011. He took to social media once again and wrote: "Yes I did get arrested when I was younger, in fact I get arrested several times. And been charged and paid the price for my convictions. I wrote a book about it."

Thomas lives a humble life with his three children and wife and sells mattresses when away from TV. In a now deleted tweet, he allegedly wrote: "How do all these celebrities have loads of money? You don't get bundles of dough for TV or adverts etc (well I don't)….But I look on Instagram and they're always in this gaff or posting in a new motor."

He added: "I finished me Strictly stuff earlier today and I'm now out in me van delivering mattresses. Do I need to be part of a special club now on the tele that's gives ya unlimited monies."

Thomas will appear in this year's show alongside Vicky Pattison, Dani Dyer and a host of other famous faces.

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