Anton Du Beke has revealed he was initially reluctant to join Strictly Come Dancing, but was persuaded after hearing Bruce Forsyth would host. The dancer, now a judge on the show, shared his memories in his memoir Steps in Time.
Initial Reluctance and Bruce's Influence
When the BBC approached Anton and his fellow professional dancers about a pro-celebrity version of Come Dancing, they were unsure. "When the BBC approached and said, 'We've got this idea we want to do pro/celebrity Come Dancing, we, as a whole, went, 'No, thank you very much'," says Anton. "We were on at 11.30pm on a Tuesday night and everyone was slightly taking the mickey. We didn't feel like it highlighted the business as it should be."
Two factors changed his mind. "I heard that Bruce Forsyth was going to be a host and Bruce has always been my hero. And then they said we are going to make it anyway, so if we don't use you guys, the ballroom dancing world, we'll use other forms of dance. I, for one, went, 'I am in. I would rather be involved than not'."
The first series in May 2004 featured eight dancers, including Anton, Erin Boag, Camilla Dallerup, and Brendan Cole, who won with Natasha Kaplinsky. Anton's celebrity partner was Lesley Garratt. "It didn't turn out to be the thing we thought it might have been and lo and behold we made a second series in the first year," says Anton.
Memories of Partners and Len Goodman
Anton, 60, danced on the show for 17 years before becoming a judge in 2021. He spoke fondly of his former partners, including Ann Widdecombe and Esther Rantzen, who both died this year. "A terrible loss, both of them. Extraordinary women," he says.
He also recalled Jerry Hall, recently seen on Celebrity Traitors. "Jerry Hall, what a woman," says Anton. "If ever a girl has lived a life. My only disappointment with Jerry is that she didn't stay in the show long enough that the audience could have got to know more about her. She is laconic and iconic." He added that she once passed on song tips from Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, and Bob Geldof.
Anton praised the late Len Goodman as the best television judge. "I think he has been the best television judge of any era at any time on any show," he says. Len phoned Anton when he got the judging job and said: "Just be yourself and say what you see." "It still makes me cry when I think about it now," says Anton.
Personal History and New Hosts
Anton's memoir also covers his family history. His father Antal Beke fled Hungary during the 1956 uprising, and his mother Ascensión Lema left Spain during Franco's dictatorship. Growing up in Sevenoaks, Kent, Anton had a difficult relationship with his father, who stabbed him in the leg and stomach when Anton was 17. His father died in 2001 before seeing Anton's Strictly success.
On the new hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe, who have faced criticism, Anton said: "They will be fine. I have no reservations about that at all." He emphasised the importance of the audience: "The most important part of the show is the fifth judge, the audience at home. Without them it doesn't work."
Steps In Time: The Moments That Made Me, by Anton Du Beke (Bonnier, £22), is out now.
