Is Anton next for Strictly axe?

JUST days ago a tearful Brendan Cole revealed he had been axed from Strictly Come Dancing.

Now fellow show veteran Anton Du Beke has admitted he still ‘doesn’t know’ if he’ll be returning this year.

He is the only remaining professional dancer from the original BBC 2004 line-up. But Du Beke, 51 – pictured above with Ruth Langsford, his partner in last year’s series – said the stars’ fates were decided on a ‘year by year’ basis.

He said: ‘‘You can never take anything for granted. We don’t really know what’s going on … they call everybody at about the same time and then the discussions start.’

Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine yesterday, Du Beke added: ‘The one thing you do know immediately with a phone call like that is whether you’re not going to be asked to come back … No one wants that phone call.’

Du Beke, who became a first-time father when his wife gave birth to twins in March, added that he was ‘stunned’ when Cole announced he would not be returning.

A BBC spokesman said the pro dancer line-up would be revealed ‘in due course’.