Anton Du Beke: Strictly judge reveals he was stabbed by his father as a child

By Steven McIntosh

Entertainment reporter

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has revealed he was stabbed by his father as a child.

The 57-year-old said his father stabbed him in the leg and stomach during a Boxing Day altercation at the family home in Kent.

Du Beke told Kate Garraway’s Life Stories he spent three days in hospital as a result of the attack.

He said his father Antal had “taken a turn” against Du Beke as alcoholism gripped him.

Recalling the incident, Du Beke said: “I got stabbed in the leg and in the stomach because of a fight on Boxing Day and it was an idiotic situation.

“I remember walking out of the house to walk up to the hospital holding my leg and a police car drove past and I waved them down and I said ‘he’s in there with a knife’.

“Anyway, they carted him off and I ended up in hospital for three or four days. My only concern was getting back into the studio and dancing and the embarrassment of it.”

The TV judge, who was previously a professional dancer on the BBC One show, said the revelations will likely come as a shock to his friends and family as it is the first time he has spoken about the childhood incident.

Born to a Spanish mother and Hungarian father, Du Beke lived on a council estate in Sevenoaks, and discovered a passion for dancing after picking his sister up from the local studio.

He explained his mother encouraged his new hobby, but the relationship with his father, who was battling issues with alcohol, became strained.

Du Beke said: “The alcoholism and the violence… [it was] towards me, because I was a boy, a young man I suppose.

“You’ve got an alcoholic father and a situation where if you’re in the house, [he’s] drinking then you end up with the fights and stuff.

“You’d move room to get away from all of it and then he follows you in and the next thing you know the violence starts and then it came to a head one evening, I ended up in hospital for three days.”

Du Beke said he was sure his family and friends did not know about the attack because he never saw any gain from speaking about his ordeal, telling Garraway: “I’m a forward looker… I don’t like to look back, I like to look forward.”

He said he told people he had “pulled a hamstring” when asked about his leg injury because he was embarrassed.

“I can’t really believe I’m talking to you about this. I should’ve glossed over this,” Du Beke commented to Garraway. “Even the thought of that [the attack] being a thing sort of annoys me as well.”

Garraway explained Du Beke’s father was cleared in court of wounding his son and when he died, Du Beke did not attend his funeral.

“Everything was about moving forwards, I felt sorry for my mum, this was her husband, she’s working two jobs and he chose to drink and be violent, it’s just life and you carry on,” he said.

At the time, the aspiring dancer changed his name “from Tony Beke, who grew up on a council estate” to “Anton Du Beke, The Show Man”.

He said: “I wanted a new start and a new beginning and I wanted to leave what went before, behind, and then move on with the rest of my life, I just wanted to be me.”

Du Beke added his motivation to achieve success was not because of his father.

“I hate woe is me,” he said. “I never sought any sense of confirmation or encouragement from him and I never did anything I did because of him. My motivation to do what I did was not because of that.”

Du Beke was the longest-serving professional dancer on Strictly until he took over from departing judge Bruno Tonioli permanently in 2021.

His celebrity partners over the years have included former home secretary Jacqui Smith, soap star Emma Barton and politician Ann Widdecombe.

TV presenter Garraway took over from Piers Morgan as the host of ITV’s Life Stories series this year.

For information and support about any issues raised in this story contact the BBC Action Line.

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