Anton Du Beke

Family and early life

Du Beke was born as Anthony Paul Beke on 20 July 1966 in Tonbridge, Kent, to a Hungarian father, Antal Xavier Beke (1939–2001), and a Spanish mother, Ascensión "Conchita" Lema. He has a younger sister and brother. He grew up in Sevenoaks, Kent, and attended Wildernesse School. Du Beke has discussed his father's problems with alcoholism and revealed that he was stabbed by his father in the leg and stomach during a Boxing Day altercation at their home in Kent.

Du Beke began dancing at 14, when he discovered his local dance school, the Holton School of Dancing in Sevenoaks. He had three partners during these formative years before the Holton School of Dancing closed in 1987. Du Beke left school at 16 to follow an amateur dancing career. At 17, he decided to specialise in ballroom. While he danced during the evenings and at weekends, he had a day jobs as a salesman in "The Bed Post" in Petts Wood, south London. and Hamiltons in Chislehurst. He dated television presenter Caroline Feraday from 2007 to 2008.

Du Beke married Hannah Summers on 20 April 2017 at Cliveden in Taplow, Buckinghamshire. The couple have twins, a boy and girl. They live in Burnham, Buckinghamshire.

Career

Dance career

Du Beke's regular professional partner is New Zealand-born Erin Boag. They met in 1997, and won both the Closed (New Zealand only) and Open to the World categories of the 1998 and 1999 New Zealand Championships. They turned professional in 2002 and became British National Finalists in the same year, a title they retained in 2003 and 2004. In November 2003, they also won the IDTA Classic in Brighton. They balanced competing with teaching, coaching, among others, the Cambridge University ballroom dancing team, one of the top-ranked student teams in the country. When they were scouted for Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, Anton and Erin were ranked 14th in the world among professional ballrooms dancers. They joined the show assuming that it would only last for one series, and were completely unprepared for Strictly's immediate massive popularity with the viewing public. Although they continued to compete for the first two series of the show, they retired from the competitive arena after realizing that they had to choose between dancing professionally and committing fully to training their celebrity partners.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance

Du Beke has appeared in every series of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing since its inception. In the first series, he danced with singer Lesley Garrett and finished in third place. For the second series, he partnered presenter Esther Rantzen; they were eliminated in the third week. He danced with actress Patsy Palmer for the third series and finished in fifth place. In the fourth series, he danced with actress and impressionist Jan Ravens but was eliminated in week five of the competition. His partner for the fifth series was TV presenter Kate Garraway; the couple were voted out in week seven. His partner for the sixth series was actress Gillian Taylforth; the couple were voted out in week two. In series seven, he was partnered with Laila Rouass. Together, they made it to week twelve.

In series eight, he partnered Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe. Despite Widdecombe's poor dancing ability, they made it through to the quarter final. For its ninth series, Nancy Dell'Olio was Anton's partner; the couple were eliminated in week five. His partner for the tenth series was model and actress Jerry Hall. They were eliminated in week three. His partner for series eleven was actress Fiona Fullerton. They were eliminated in week eight in Blackpool. For the show's twelfth series, his partner was tennis coach Judy Murray. They were also eliminated in week eight in Blackpool. For series thirteen, Du Beke was partnered with newscaster and presenter Katie Derham; they made it to Du Beke's first final in all thirteen series and were eliminated in fourth place.

In series fourteen, Du Beke was partnered with actress Lesley Joseph. They were eliminated in week five. In series fifteen in 2017, Du Beke was paired with television presenter Ruth Langsford. In 2018 Anton was partnered with Fashion Journalist Susannah Constantine. They finished last (the first time Du Beke had ever done this) with an average of 12.00 (Du Beke's lowest). For the 17th series, he was partnered with Emma Barton. In Week nine, Du Beke received his first 10s in all seventeen series for their American Smooth; the couple received a total of fifteen 10s during the series. They finished joint runners-up alongside Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden, but lost out to Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse. In 2020 Du Beke was partnered with former home secretary Jacqui Smith. They were eliminated in week two (first), Du Beke's second time finishing last.

Du Beke has also appeared in a number of Children in Need and Christmas Specials of Strictly Come Dancing. In 2008 he won the Children in Need 2008 special, dancing an American Smooth with Tess Daly. He danced once again with Anne Widdecombe in the 2012 Children in Need special but lost out to Russell Grant and Flavia Cacace. He did however go on to win the Children in Need 2014 special where he and fellow dancer Natalie Lowe taught a group of children how to dance. Du Beke has also reprised his partnerships with Lesley Garret and Ann Widdecombe for the 2004 and 2018 Christmas specials, respectively. He has also danced with Ronni Ancona, Su Pollard, Katy Brand and Denise Lewis in the respective 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016 Christmas specials. In 2015 Du Beke served as a judge on The People's Strictly, a one off version of the show where non-celebrities compete for the charity Comic Relief. In 2020, he reprised his role as a judge for weeks four and five to fill in for Motsi Mabuse, who needed to quarantine after travelling to Germany. On 24 June 2021, it was announced that Du Beke would become a permanent judge on Strictly Come Dancing from series nineteen, starting in September 2021, replacing Bruno Tonioli.

Laila Rouass comment

In 2009, Du Beke said that his dance partner Laila Rouass "looked like a paki" after she had arrived at rehearsal with a spray tan. Du Beke apologized publicly, and reiterated his remarks on It Takes Two, ''Strictly Come Dancing'''s companion show, stating that "I feel embarrassed. I feel stupid as well. It was a stupid thing to do, stupid thing to say ... I am mortified about it completely and, you know, Laila has been quite remarkably wonderful." Rouass accepted his apology, and stated in a 2011 interview: "The story had been blown out of proportion ... Anton didn’t mean to be offensive. I wouldn’t have danced with him if he was racist." In 2016, she backed him to be a Strictly judge: "I think Anton would be a fabulous judge. He's so funny, I can’t tell you. I was so lucky to be paired with that man."

Other television appearances

In March 2007 Du Beke was a contestant on the BBC Two series The Underdog Show and was paired with homeless dog Ginger. They were eliminated in week three of the competition.

Du Beke has presented the BBC cookery show Step Up to the Plate. He served as a captain and from series 2 was the host on the UK version of Hole in the Wall, which premiered on 20 September 2008 on BBC One. On 24 December 2009, he appeared in Victoria Wood's Midlife Christmas, in a sketch called "Beyond The Marigolds", where he spoofed his Strictly Come Dancing role by being paired with fictional soap star "Bo Beaumont" (played by Julie Walters). Beaumont quit the show when unable to master Du Beke's warm-up steps.

In 2011, Du Beke was the first guest on the CBBC talk show Hacker Time.

During the week of 5 to 9 May 2014, Du Beke appeared on Channel 4 game show Draw It!.

On Christmas Day 2019, Du Beke surprised Craig Revel Horwood as a guest in the Christmas Midnight Gameshow in Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show.

On 27 October 2023, Du Beke guest presented Steph's Packed Lunch on Channel 4.

In early 2023, Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice appeared in the travel mini series Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Sicily. In 2024, this was followed by Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Spain.

In 2026, Du Beke appeared as a contestant on the seventh series of The Masked Singer as "Arctic Fox". He was sixth to be unmasked.

''Strictly Come Dancing'' performances

Series 1 – with celebrity partner Lesley Garrett, Du Beke was placed 3rd.

Series 2 – with celebrity partner Esther Rantzen, Du Beke was placed 8th.

Series 3 – with celebrity partner Patsy Palmer; placed 5th

Series 4 – with celebrity partner Jan Ravens; placed 9th

Series 5 – with celebrity partner Kate Garraway; placed 8th

Series 6 – with celebrity partner Gillian Taylforth; placed 15th

Series 7 – with celebrity partner Laila Rouass; placed 4th

1 Rouass and Du Beke only performed half of their routine, due to an injury. 2 Scores from guest judge Darcey Bussell.

Series 8 – with celebrity partner Ann Widdecombe; placed 6th

Series 9 – with celebrity partner Nancy Dell'Olio; placed 11th

Series 10 – with celebrity partner Jerry Hall; placed 13th

Series 11 – with celebrity partner Fiona Fullerton; placed 9th

Series 12 – with celebrity partner Judy Murray; placed 9th

3 Score from guest judge Donny Osmond.

Series 13 – with celebrity partner Katie Derham; placed 4th

Series 14 – with celebrity partner Lesley Joseph; placed 11th

Series 15 – with celebrity partner Ruth Langsford; placed 9th

4Tonioli was absent due to working on Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)

Series 16 – with celebrity partner Susannah Constantine; placed 15th

Series 17 – with celebrity partner Emma Barton; placed 2nd

In week 9, at Blackpool, dancing an American Smooth, Du Beke scored his first ever 10s.

5Score awarded by guest judge Alfonso Ribeiro

Series 18 – with celebrity partner Jacqui Smith; placed 12th

Discography

• From the Top (2017)

Books

Du Beke has released a book called Anton's Dance Class which was serialised in the Mail on Sunday. Du Beke also wrote an A–Z of ballroom dancing, B is for Ballroom.

Buckingham Hotel series

In October 2018, Du Beke released his debut novel One Enchanted Evening. Du Beke has now released six novels in the series which have all been set around the Buckingham Hotel and characters Raymond and Nancy. A 7th book was due for release in 2024 and 8th in 2025.

• One Enchanted Evening (2018)
• Moonlight over Mayfair (2019)
• A Christmas to Remember (2020)
• We'll Meet Again (November 2021)
• The Ballroom Blitz (2022)
• The Paris Affair (2023)
• A Dance for the King (2024)
• A Winter Ball (2025)

Other novels

• The Royal Show (2024)
• Monte Carlo by Moonlight (2025)

Children's books

• Code Name Foxtrot (2024)
• Operation Tango (2025)

Dance tours

In September 2025, Du Beke announced he was to appear at "Dancing With The Stars Weekends" 2026.

In June 2020, Du Beke and Erin Boag announced a 3-month 2021 UK Tour "SHOWTIME".

In September 2020, Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice announced a 2021 UK Tour "HIM & ME".

Philanthropy

Du Beke is an honorary patron of The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.

References

References

1. Jones, Amy. (2023-04-04). "Anton Du Beke's life off-screen from real name to becoming a dad at 50".
2. (19 July 2008). "Strictly good friends: Anton Du Beke reveals what REALLY went on with Kate Garraway my name's Jackie". London Evening Standard.
3. (18 December 2021). "Strictly Anton Du Beke's life from famous This Morning presenter ex-girlfriend". [[Huddersfield Daily Examiner]].
4. ANNIE. (2020-03-08). "Strictly Come Dancing: Anton Du Beke Reveals All…".
5. (18 October 2010). "Anton Du Beke interviewed by Kent Life". Kent Life.
6. McIntosh, Steven. (2 August 2023). "Anton Du Beke: Strictly judge reveals he was stabbed by his father as a child". BBC News.
7. (2022-11-12). "Strictly's Anton du Beke 'sprung' secret wedding on new mum Hannah".
8. (2018-11-26). "Strictly's Anton du Beke talks love, marriage, IVF and dodging the Strictly Curse".
9. (30 March 2017). "Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke announces birth of twins". [[News & Star]].
10. (2018-11-20). "Story lines: Anton du Beke • All Areas • Round & About Magazine".
11. "New Zealand's Open Dancesport Championships". nzopendancechampionship.co.nz.
12. "British National Dance Championships 2002". dancesportinfo.net.
13. "Anton du Beke biography". celebrityagent.co.uk.
14. (19 August 2017). "It Takes Two to Tango". The Guardian.
15. "Cambridgr Dancer's Club Alumni Newsletter".
16. "The 32nd Cambridge v.s. Oxford Varsity Dancesport Match".
17. (21 May 2021). "What makes up their strictly identity?". issuu.com.
18. (10 September 2003). "Blackpool 2003 Professional Standard Ranking". archive.org.
19. "Kate Garraway's Life Stories - Anton du Beke". itv.com.
20. (2021-06-24). "Anton Du Beke to join Strictly judges for new series". BBC News.
21. (2009-10-05). "Strictly Come Dancing: Anton Du Beke apologises over racist term". The Guardian.
22. (2009-10-05). "BBC stands by race row Du Beke". BBC News.
23. (2009-10-09). "Laila Rouass & Anton Du Beke - It Takes Two Oct 9th".
24. (2011-08-14). "My mother taught me to beat the bullies and be the best mum I can".
25. (2016-09-22). "Laila Rouass Says Anton du Beke Would Be a Harsh Judge".
26. "Draw it!". digiguide.tv.
27. (27 October 2023). "Steph's Packed Lunch". [[Channel Four Television Corporation.
28. "Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Sicily".
29. "Anton and Giovanni's Adventures in Spain".
30. (10 January 2026). "All the celebrities who have been unmasked so far on The Masked Singer 2026".
31. Hogan, Michael. (16 November 2019). "Strictly Come Dancing 2019, week 9 Blackpool special: Anton Du Beke scores his first ever 10s but Kelvin Fletcher and Karim Zeroual tied at top". The Telegraph.
32. "Strictly Come Dancing pro Anton Du Beke FINALLY gets his first-ever ten".
33. "Anton's Dance Class".
34. "B is for Ballroom".
35. Norfolk, Pam. (2022-08-23). "We'll Meet Again by Anton Du Beke: Nostalgia, suspense, romance and intrigue – book review –".
36. Sherlock, Marilyn. (February 2023). "The Ballroom Blitz". Historical Novel Society.
37. (13 February 2024). "The Paris Affair". Orion Publishing Group, Limited.
38. (2024-11-08). "Monte Carlo by Moonlight". Orion.
39. Paganelli, Anton Du Beke, Elisa. (2024-08-29). "Code Name Foxtrot".
40. Paganelli, Anton Du Beke, Elisa. (2025-06-19). "Operation Tango".
41. "5* Weekend Break with the Stars of BBC Strictly Come Dancing".
42. "Home – Anton and Erin Live".
43. "Home – Anton and Giovanni Live".
44. "About Us".
45. link. The Times{{dead link. (September 2024)