Anton Du Beke praises Giovanni Pernice amid Strictly scandal as he opens up on 'reputation'

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has shared his thoughts on the latest series of the BBC show, which has been hit by a number of controversies

Strictly Come Dancing's judge Anton Du Beke stands firm on his principles amidst a year riddled with scandals for the BBC One dance spectacle. Despite allegations of abuse and bullying on the show, plus a concerning dip in ratings marking its two-decade journey, Anton remains undeterred, OK!.

With sixteen years under his sequinned belt as a pro on the floor and three years dishing out critiques alongside Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood, the effervescent judge keeps audience delight at the core of his mission. Anton shared his ethos: "For me, I always want to do it well, whatever I am doing," adding passionately, "Everything I have wanted to do is about performing, really. That is all I have ever wanted to do and everything has got to be great. Whatever it is I do, it has to be standalone good. That is massively important to me. Your reputation has to be worked towards and you never don't work at it as the audience will see through it."

In his pursuit of excellence, the 58 year old entertainer hasn't slowed down this year, embarking on tours and even starring in a travel show with fellow Strictly icon Giovanni Pernice. The Italian professional dancer hasn't made a return to Strictly this autumn, following an investigation into allegations made by his former dance partner Amanda Abbington. The BBC has recently released its findings and issued an apology to Amanda.

Her complaints of bullying and verbal harassment were upheld, however, there were no findings related to physical aggression. Giovanni responded on Instagram, expressing he was "happy" that "none of the serious allegations have been upheld".

Earlier in the summer, Giovanni collaborated with Anton on the travel show, Anton and Giovanni's Adventures, which took them across Europe. Their UK stage tour, Together, followed shortly after. Anton has nothing but admiration for his co-star, even applauding him for becoming more comedic during their tour.

"If I am with Giovanni, he is very much about [being]the solo flyer [on stage]," Anton shares. "We have got to be good as he has got really good at listening and now the whole thing works in a much more nuanced way, as he will do something funny and I will do something funny. It is now a much better sort of cohesive moment."

Anton was speaking at the Sevenoaks Literary Festival at the Ship Theatre in Sevenoaks, Kent, where he was promoting his new novel, A Dance For The King. But does he have plans to write more books (this being his ninth novel), perhaps one detailing his life and remarkable career?

"An autobiography? Oh Christ. I did the first part... I don't have to write about it again," Anton remarked. "A memoir? I might do a memoir, if only so I can remember all the nice things I have been allowed to do over the years, as I have been very lucky in that regard. The problem is nothing lasts long enough, does it?"

Anton has a treasure trove of stories from his time in the spotlight and it would be quite the loss if he didn't pen down his life's journey. "Paul Chuckle. Brilliant," he recalls with enthusiasm. "We did a couple of routines [in panto] together. We did this carrot box and a hole. It is basically a willy gag but it is funny."

He fondly remembers the legendary Sir Bruce Forsyth, who passed away in 2017. "I became good friends with Brucie and it was just a magical time," Anton shares. "Brucie was the ultimate and I spent a lot of time with him. I was starstruck the first time I met him. That was the moment and the only moment. I mean, I have been in the studio with Beyonce, for heaven's sake, and Kylie Minogue and Michael Buble. I have kissed Michael on the cheek and I have danced in front of Andrea Bocelli."

Anton also recalled his first encounter with showbiz legend Bruce Forsyth: "I have been really lucky, but I remember the first time I met Brucie. It was the very first launch show. He was a hero of mine and one of the reasons I did Strictly was because of Brucie. He was on it and I wanted to do the show with Brucie on it. I couldn't speak. I remember [fellow pro dancer] Erin [Boag] looked at me and said, 'What is wrong with you? ' and I couldn't speak. I had nothing."

The dancer, dad to seven year old twins George and Henrietta with his wife Hannah Summers, also shared some hilarious anecdotes from his time on Strictly, particularly about his celebrity dance partners. With a chuckle, "Ruth Langsford and Kate Garraway. Much maligned," he quipped.

Reflecting on his stint with Kate, Anton revealed a memorable moment: "We had a bit of a tough time [with Kate]. I remember after a few weeks I felt she was a bit down in the dumps about the whole thing. I remember we walked out one night live on TV. We were in position after the VT. We were in the wings and they said, 'Dancing the quickstep is Anton and Kate...' And she said, 'One thing, which foot do we start on?'"

"Then one week with Ruth, we were like the 12th act. There were hundreds of them on the first show and it does go on for hours. They said it was our turn and Ruth goes, 'Why don't you go on your own? You know it better than me.' Then we had the VT and she said, 'I'm fine, you go on, on your own.' Kai [Widdrington] and Gorka [Marquez] helped us carry her downstairs. We had a chaise longue and Ruth sat on that. As I go to the chair, Dave Arch [the show's conductor] suddenly goes, 'Good luck.' I went [over] and looked at her longingly and I thrust my arms at her in a slightly pleading fashion and suddenly Dave gets up and tips her out of the chair!"

Despite having had his fair share of inexperienced yet entertaining famous partners former MP Ann Widdecombe for example Anton says dance novices haven't been the hardest thing he's had to navigate. He confesses, he found "sexing" up performances was the one thing he found to be the most uncomfortable at first. "They started introducing new [dance] styles and we all got very suspicious," he says.

"We were all like, 'What is this new stuff you wish us to do? ' It got all jazzy and we were OK with a bit of jazz and then it started to get a bit commercial and we all got a bit crumply."

"We started doing stuff like [sexy moves and rubbing each other up and down]. We looked idiotic, if I am being honest. They wanted us to learn this in like five minutes. I found it really uncomfortable doing the commercial stuff early doors later on, I became brilliant at it!"