Strictly Come Dancing favourite Anton Du Beke has revealed he was left "rocked" during a live performance after an audience member took exception to one of his jokes and "stormed" out.
Speaking to fellow Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood on the 25 August episode of the Judgemental podcast, Anton recounted a "horrible" incident that occurred in Manchester.
'It makes me feel a bit sick now'
Anton said: "Oh, I had a moment once. Oh, it makes me feel a bit sick now". Craig quipped that he enjoys seeing his co-star "uncomfortable". Anton told him that he was "being rude" at the time.
He went on to explain: "Oh, it was horrible, really. And you know, I was doing this stuff in my show at the time, years ago. And I was talking about my ex-partners and stuff, and you know, the joke is all, 'Why do you always get the ones that can't dance?' And that's not strictly true, but it's quite funny."
'Cheap, cheap jokes'
Anton said it took place at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, explaining that the setting differed from a standard theatre because the room wasn't blacked out, with low-level lighting still visible.
He continued: "Anyway, she stood up, and she went, 'Cheap, cheap jokes!', or something like this and stormed up the aisle. And I was sort of rocked by it, really. And after about 30 more seconds, you could see her husband get up and walk out as well because I think he felt obliged to go."
Anton continued with the performance, though it subsequently transpired that the couple were made to wait in the foyer because her mum was in the audience, "loving it" and stayed until the end.
Strictly return
He admitted feeling "terrible" about what happened and expressed hope she wasn't left feeling "upset", emphasising he wasn't "being mean". With Strictly's return pencilled in for the end of September, excitement is building among viewers ahead of the BBC show's latest run.
It will also be a new era at the helm, as Johannes Radebe, Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis step in as presenters following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman's departure.
