Celebrity Gogglebox newbie Anton Du Beke has opened up about his role as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, and how he put a great deal of importance on his partners enjoying their time with him
Anton Du Beke has said he would have been heartbroken if one of his dance partners on Strictly Come Dancing said they didn’t enjoy the experience.
Anton, who is now a judge on the BBC show, shared on the My Time Capsule podcast that his main goal was helping his partners enjoy the experience of learning to dance, and then performing on stage.
Anton, 58, explained: “I love the show and I’ve been doing it since the very beginning.
“I think it’s a great show and I always felt that when I danced with my partners on the show, when I was dancing, I would have been heartbroken if one of my partners had gone, ‘I didn’t have a very nice time, I didn’t like that very much, I didn’t enjoy the experience’ or ‘I wish I’d danced with someone else’.
“I sort of internally felt that really strongly. I wanted my partners to have the best experience and that was my goal really, that was my number one goal.”
Anton's comments about his relationships with his celebrity partners came just months after the BBC apologised to Amanda Abbington over complaints she made about her time on Strictly with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice.
Following her 2023 Strictly stint, Amanda had accused Giovanni of being "unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean" during their rehearsals, which he had always strongly denied.
After an investigation, the BBC concluded that Amanda's complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, but claims of physical aggression were not.
Later, in an appearance on Good Morning Britain in February, Anton seemed to dodge a question about Giovanni. When he was asked about whether he would welcome the dancer back by host Richard Madeley, he replied: "Umm, that's a very good question; I'd prefer to talk about the golf."
He added: "We're going off on tour in the summer, so I'll be seeing him in the summer when we go back on the road. So, I'm looking forward to seeing him again. I love being on stage with him and performing with him, and I've known him for a long time. We've got a wonderful company, as well, so all in all, it's a great show."
As well as talking about Strictly, Anton has been raising awareness of health-related matters, stating he wants to raise more awareness of endometriosis.
The reason for this is because his wife, Hannah, lives with the condition which affects around 1.5m people in the UK.
Anton opened up about the matter on a celebrity edition of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ and said that the condition is “not talked about enough”.
Anton explained that his wife’s experience meant he had been on a journey learning about the condition. He said: “Before I met my wife, I had never heard of endometriosis. It potentially stops women from having children. It’s still not talked about enough.
“My wife seemed like a person naturally aligned to motherhood, yet a freak of nature had decreed that she wouldn’t be able to get pregnant. That always seemed mightily unfair to me. Now, she is the most incredible mother.”
Anton married Hannah five years after the pair first met each other Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey in 2012.
According to Endometriosis UK, the condition occurs “when cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body”.
They added: “These cells can grow and change in response to hormones in the menstrual cycle, this can cause inflammation, pain and scar tissue.”
Symptoms of endometriosis, say the NHS, can include:
- Severe period pain
- Heavy periods
- Pain when you poo or pee
- Pain in your lower tummy and back
- Pain during or after sex
- Extreme tiredness/fatigue
- Pain or bleeding in other areas e.g., the chest
For more information on the condition it is best to consult your GP or a NHS physician.
Anton Du Beke is due to appear on Celebrity Gogglebox tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm alongside fellow Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood.
