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

Aug 02, 2023

Anton Du Beke has revealed that he was stabbed by his father as a child.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge said he was knifed in the stomach and leg on a Boxing Day when he was living at their family home on a council estate in Kent.

Du Beke said he ended up spending three days in hospital, and lied about his injuries to friends because he was embarrassed.

Appearing on Kate Garraway’s Life Stories, the 57-year-old said his father Antal “took a turn” against him after being gripped by alcoholism.

Struggling to hold back tears, he explained: “I got stabbed, I’ve never said this out loud before.”

He added: “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.

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“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.”

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Du Beke said he was sure his family and friends didn’t know about the attack, and explained that he never saw any benefit of speaking out.

But the professional dancer confirmed that he flagged down a police car as he walked to hospital clutching his leg.

“I waved them down and I said ‘he’s in there with a knife’. Anyway, they carted him off … my only concern was getting back into the studio and dancing and the embarrassment of it.”

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

He said: “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.”

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.”

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