Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has disclosed that he was stabbed by his father on Boxing Day, an attack that left him hospitalised for three days. The 57-year-old dancer spoke about the incident for the first time on Kate Garraway's Life Stories, airing on ITV.
Du Beke recalled walking to hospital holding his leg after the stabbing at their family home in Kent. He flagged down a police car, telling officers his father was inside with a knife. His father was arrested but later cleared in court. Du Beke said he was so embarrassed that he initially told people he had a hamstring injury.
Growing up on a council estate in Sevenoaks, Du Beke described a childhood marked by his father's alcoholism and violence. He said the abuse was directed at him as a young man, with fights escalating until the stabbing. His mother supported his dancing, but his father was hostile.
Du Beke, who became a permanent Strictly judge in 2021, said the revelations might shock those close to him. The episode of Kate Garraway's Life Stories airs Wednesday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
