Thomas Skinner appeared to be in high spirits as he proudly showcased his latest purchase, a brand-new Bentley, amid claims that ‘BBC bosses manipulated Strictly’s official voting numbers.’

The former “Apprentice” contestant, now 34, expressed his excitement over the luxurious car, humorously noting on Instagram that it would make the school run with his kids much faster.

“Happy Friday, you lovely people,” Skinner shared with his followers. “Taking the kids to school on Monday morning is going to be a bit quicker.”

He continued, “A big thank you to Phil at @bentleychelmsford for setting me up with this incredible ride! If you’re in the market for a Bentley, he’s your guy, the Guvna.”

Expressing his enthusiasm, Skinner added, “This Bentayga Speed is an absolute beast! I love it! There’s nothing quite like a Bentley. Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend. Keep pushing forward. Is it time for the pub yet? Bosh❤️.”

Thomas took part in the 23rd series of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing alongside partner Amy Dowden, 35, being the first contestant to be eliminated – and has since then been plagued with public woes.

Thomas Skinner, 34, looked in his highest spirits as he posed for a beaming shot with his brand-new Bentley, after he ‘sought legal advice’ after he claimed ‘ BB C bosses rigged Strictly official voting figures’

The Apprentice star gushed over his luxury vehicle and told fans he would make a ‘quicker’ way to take this kids to school in the newly-shared Instagram post

Thomas and pro partner Amy, scored a dismal 29 out of 80 over two shows and landed in the bottom two with former rugby player Chris Robshaw, who was eventually saved by the judges. 

In December, it was revealed that the reality star reportedly parted ways with with his agent.

He had already been deemed a controversial signing on the flagship BBC show due to his outspoken Right-wing views, but the storm only grew when he confessed to cheating on his wife Sinead just weeks after they tied the knot.

Thomas, who has denied the claims, was reportedly informed by Insanity management, who also represent the likes of Sam Thompson, Roman Kemp and Vick Hope of their decision in December. 

His legal threats against the BBC also seemingly lie in tatters after an independent poll showed the star received just 1.4% of the public vote, despite his claims he received an anonymous email of evidence proving otherwise. 

The exit poll of 125K viewers was conducted by website Strictly Spoiler and is completely separate from the BBC main vote. The poll showed ‘clear evidence of his unpopularity’ after he received just 1805 votes, the lowest of all the contestants. 

A source told The Mirror: ‘The poll – which is larger than an exit poll for a- comprehensively shows that Skinner was the least popular contestant by a long way. There is no conspiracy. These are the cold, hard facts’.

 Daily Mail contacted Insanity and Thomas Skinner for comment at the time.

Thomas took part in the 23rd series of BBC’s Strictly alongside partner Amy Dowden, 35, being the first contestant to be eliminated – and has since then been plagued with public woes 

He had already been deemed a controversial signing due to his outspoken Right-wing views, but the storm only grew when he confessed to cheating on his wife (seen with Amy)

In December, it was revealed that the reality star reportedly parted ways with with his agent

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Strictly Come Dancing’s public vote is independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy every week. Any claims to the contrary are entirely without foundation. Unfortunately, despite requests for it, Mr Skinner is yet to share the email he references with anyone from the BBC so we are unable to comment on it’.

In addition, PromoVeritas – the company who independently verify the Strictly public vote – said: ‘All votes are independently and comprehensively verified by two auditors. We can confirm that all votes received are validated. This has been the case every week.’  

It comes after a since deleted statement, as reported by The Mirror, by Thomas said he ‘really regretted’ appearing in this year’s Strictly.

The reality star said he was ‘not perfect’ and had ‘made mistakes’ but was convinced he was right about the votes being rigged.

While insisting the only positive experience of his stint was meeting pro partner Amy, he also claimed he was still on ‘good terms’ with the BBC. Despite his legal action and pulling out of Saturday’s final, which saw Lioness Karen Carney win.

Thomas said: ‘First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who has followed my journey and supported me along the way. I genuinely appreciate it more than you’ll ever know’. 

‘I also want to be honest. I know what’s likely to come next. I expect people will call me a liar, they’ll try to cancel me, say I’m hated, or even claim I didn’t get any votes at all. At this point, I don’t care anymore. I know what’s right, and I know the conversations I’ve had’.

Thomas, who shares three children with his wife, continued: ‘I understand that much of what’s happened is my own fault. I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life and I hold my hands up to that. I’m not perfect and I’ve never pretended to be. 

His legal threat seemingly lie in tatters after an independent poll showed the star received just 1.4% of the public vote

Thomas previously said he wished he ‘never went on Strictly’, as he has received ‘constant abuse’ following the revelation that he cheated on his wife (pictured together)

‘But what I can’t accept is my family being dragged into this. So I need to take a step back. I never wanted any of this to become public. If I’m being completely honest, I really regret doing Strictly Come Dancing’. 

He went on: ‘I wish I’d never done it. The only positive to come from it was making a new friend in Amy, who is a genuinely lovely person. Aside from that, it’s brought a huge amount of negative attention, and it has affected me more than I’d like to admit.’

‘It was on good terms. I want to be clear: I don’t hate the BBC. They gave me my big break when I appeared on The Apprentice six or seven years ago, and I’m grateful for that. I’m not looking for conflict. I just want to get on with my life.

Before adding: ‘Tomorrow I’ll be back at work, focusing on my family, my children, and my beautiful wife. I’m lucky I have work every day an I’m focusing on that. The amount I’ve been attacked this year really isn’t right.’

Daily Mail have contacted Thomas’ representatives for further comment. 

A source told  The Sun: ‘The BBC is already facing a £7.5billion lawsuit from Donald Trump – now Thomas, a friend of Vice President JD Vance, is taking them on too’.

The president filed a $10billion lawsuit against the corporation after the embattled corporation was found to have doctored his speech in a Panorama episode.  

‘Thomas is adamant he got a larger share of the public vote and believes he has the evidence to prove it.  He is determined to see it through, but there’s no way the BBC will take this sensational claim lying down. They’ll robustly defend any kinds of claims that the voting was rigged or fixed’.

‘He’s convinced the BBC was hell-bent on getting him out as soon as possible, no matter how many of his fans got behind him’.