Firsts with Tom Skinner: My first gig, my first car, and my first reaction to having twins

Virgin Radio

11 Oct 2023, 14:43

The Apprentice and social media star Tom Skinner popped in to share his Virgin Radio Firsts while promoting his new book.

The Graft: How to Smash Life author shared lots of memories with the team, while also opening up about his dyslexia and his journey to success in an exclusive interview with virginradio.co.uk.

Tom’s book will hit the shelves on Thursday, 12th October, and promises to share many stories from the Dino’s Cafe regular’s interesting life.

Watch Tom share some life stories in his firsts interview here:

First gig?

I remember going to V Festival - remember V Festival? Back in like 2004, 2003, with my mates. And we could never get tickets so we just jumped the fence!

First car?

So I always wanted a [Mercedes], yeah. And I bought like this 15-year-old Merc A-Class - the worst Merc you can get. It had purple seats yeah, and it was like, it blew up! But I wanted a Merc, so I had the keys, and it was just like a grand or something, a piece of rubbish. And I had it going ‘Look at my Merc!’ and people were like ‘Mate, that’s what people have like a school mum’s car, and you one’s got rust all over it!’

First thing you do in the morning?

Kiss my beautiful wife, say goodbye to my little babies, and get in the van and go to work.

First football match?

It’s got to be a West Ham game. You know what the mad thing is: I’ve been going since I was a little boy, but the first one I actually really remember for whatever reason was 2002, end of season, end of August, and it was West Ham v Arsenal and it was 2:2. Don’t know why I remember that game but I always do.

First poster on your bedroom wall?

A picture of a Lamborghini Countach which I bought from Romford market. And I remember it, and I’ve got the same picture now, but drawn.

First reaction when you found out you were having twins?

Well this is quite funny. So, I’d gone to the hospital with my wife, she’d found out that we were pregnant, and we were sitting there and I’m looking at this screen and I can see clear as day there’s two babies on the screen. And the lady rubs jelly on my wife’s belly and the nurse, she says: ‘Oh my God, you've not got one healthy heartbeat, you’ve got two healthy heartbeats!’ And my wife goes: ‘Is that normal for the baby to have two heartbeats at this stage?’ And I just go ‘You donut!’

First thing you ever ordered at Dino’s Cafe?

It was a Christmas dinner. In December, years ago now, but yeah.

Graft: How to Smash Life by Tom Skinner will be available in hardback from 12 October (HarperNonFiction, £22).