Anton Du Beke has revealed that he “never laid eyes” on his father again after being stabbed by him in his mid-twenties. The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 60, was raised in Sevenoaks, Kent, by his mother Ascension, from Spain, and his father Antal, from Hungary.
A violent Boxing Day attack
In his new book, Steps in Time: The Moments That Made Me, Du Beke describes a difficult relationship with his dad, who he said was a violent alcoholic. On one Boxing Day, Du Beke said he was on the phone with his dance teacher when he was stabbed in the leg and stomach by his father. He then staggered outside and flagged down a police car.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “The police carted him off, [but] after [the stabbing] I never laid eyes on him again.” Du Beke said he felt “embarrassed” by the incident and told people that he had torn a hamstring.
No drinking, no regrets
Du Beke, who does not drink himself, said: “I don’t want people to think it defines me, but everybody’s an armchair psychologist. They go, ‘Oh, I see!’ No, I promise, you don’t see. I don’t drink. Before people know my father’s an alcoholic they go, ‘He doesn’t drink’. Now it’s, ‘I know why!’ Not the case. I tried drinking when I was 17 and was sick all over the place. Two pints of beer, head spinning, the whole thing. I’ve got no constitution and it’s hugely expensive. I’d rather spend the money on dancing lessons.”
Moving on
Du Beke’s father died in 2001, with the dancer informed about it over the phone. He said it “didn’t resonate at all” and he left a note for his mother to let her know. Du Beke said he is not bothered about his troubled relationship with his father these days, saying: “I have to move on.”
The dancer has been on Strictly Come Dancing since series one and became part of the judging panel in series 19. He is married to Hannah Summers, with the couple parents to nine-year-old twins George and Henrietta.
