It began as a typical, old-school ‘kiss and tell.’
Essex party girl Amy-Lucy O’Rourke was desperate to sell the story of her three-month fling with Thomas Skinner, a former contestant on The Apprentice and, after hanging out with US vice president JD Vance this summer, one of the more controversial celebrities in the forthcoming series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
She had been all set to have her moment in a Sunday red top only for that paper to do a deal with Thomas for his story instead.
Amy-Lucy, a single mother and aesthetician, was furious. So last Saturday, a former colleague and friend contacted me to offer me the interview – the real story.
Amy-Lucy demanded her account was published as soon as possible so despite being on holiday in Spain at the time I agreed to work with her and deliver the story in time for Monday’s edition. She insisted it was a ‘massive’ story and that she wanted the ‘whole thing out there’ immediately.
After The Sun had published Thomas’s somewhat watered-down version of events, I was pleased to give Amy-Lucy the chance to tell her side of the story. It is an undeniably fascinating tale and talking to her on the phone made me realise just how many inaccuracies there had been in Thomas’s version.
He had told The Sun that it was a one-off. But after Amy-Lucy sent me all their correspondence it was clear their romance went on for a matter of months.
Amy-Lucy O’Rourke had a relationship with married Strictly Come Dancing contestant Thomas Skinner, but has since lashed out at Katie Hind
Amy-Lucy’s foul-mouth tirade continued in that vein. She said she didn’t like how I had written small parts of her story
He told her he loved her, he helped with getting her car serviced and fixed, he made her chilli con carne and invited her on trips with him.
It was quite a contrast to the picture Thomas painted – and of course, a long way from what he seemingly told his wife Sinead, whom he married just days before he started a romance with Amy-Lucy.
I agreed a fee with Amy-Lucy, admittedly not as much as she would have liked but she had her chance to tell the public just what a love rat Thomas was.
She agreed to pose for pictures and I sent her the copy to make sure she was happy. This is not standard practice – I just wanted to look after her.
Amy-Lucy, 35, was difficult throughout the process, but I know from experience that women in these situations often are – I always put it down to nerves – plus I felt for her after Thomas had lied about their relationship. It was clear she thought they’d had a future together.
But her behaviour over the next few days shocked me and I now find I have more sympathy for Thomas, not Amy-Lucy.
For after not liking a few words in my piece (she didn’t like the word ‘chore’, or that I’d said the pair had shared late-night messages because often she claimed she would be with him in bed) she sent me a furious barrage of abuse.
‘You have been nothing but an awkward little f***ing b****,’ she shouted in a WhatsApp voice note.
‘You’ve shooshed me, you’ve been rude to me. I don’t f***ing like you.’
Amy-Lucy’s foul-mouth tirade continued in that vein. She said she didn’t like how I had written small parts of her story.
‘So f*** you,’ she screamed. ‘F*** you all, you’re all c****.’ After accusing me of not wanting to stick up for women and just wanting a ‘juicy story’ (never mind that she had approached me to sell hers), she added: ‘You’re all a bunch of c****.’
In another, she ranted: ‘I’ve just given you my story but you’re being called a b**** and a c*** because you are acting like one towards me.’
‘You think you’re funny, Katie, you’re a f***ing b****.
Skinner married Sinead on May 21, 2022. Less than a month after the wedding, Skinner and Amy-Lucy were FaceTiming one another
‘You’re treating me like a little b****, you are treating me like a c***, why are you turning this round on me? You’re like Thomas.’
After several more expletives, she accused me of having ‘attitude’ towards her. She said: ‘You’re not f***ing well, you are meant to be a woman.
‘You’ve been spiteful to me, and a little bit f***ing bitchy. What’s your problem? B****.’
Amy-Lucy later warned me: ‘Listen, do what you want to do because you will anyway but just know, karma isn’t very nice.’
Enforcing her threat, she added: ‘Karma is a b****.’
Amy-Lucy continued to send me aggressive messages throughout Sunday night and into the early hours of Monday morning. I thought I’d received the last at 4am, but the barrage began again just after 6am.
At one point she tried to excuse her swearing and name calling by accusing me of being posh (I’m not) and ‘smug’.
Following the exclusive interview which was published on Monday, I wrote two more stories. One described how Thomas had turned up at her house and wanted to be let in and was accompanied by Ring doorbell footage she had sent me.
The other was about text messages Amy-Lucy had handed me which proved her relationship with Thomas was not a one-off.
Unfortunately, this provoked a more public attack, telling the followers of her Essex beauty clinic I was ‘obsessed’ with her and I am a ‘bully’.
While I won’t divulge Amy-Lucy’s financial demands for payment, they were generous. I also at no point chased her for her story, she approached me and wanted it out there quickly.
Of course I am used to people I write about taking issue with my words. I also spent much of my earlier career dealing with ‘kiss and tell girls’ – many of whom can be extremely difficult. But none of their behaviour was anything close to Amy-Lucy’s extraordinary abuse.
And frankly, while Thomas’s behaviour should not be excused or forgotten, I don’t know how he put up with her for three months.
