Anton: “I want to dance with Jason Bell!”
Strictly icon Anton Du Beke gives us the lowdown on this year’s contestants, and life as a ‘besotted’ dad to twins
After a year of doom and gloom, Strictly Come Dancing fans have been only too happy to see the sparkling extravaganza burst back on to their screens. And pro dancer Anton Du Beke tells Closer he’s just as thrilled to return to the annual glitterfest.
“Strictly is my favourite thing to do,” he says. “Everybody’s been so ready for the show this year, because it brings the nation together. It will be the best one ever!
“As soon as you see Janette [Manrara] doing a back flip into somebody’s arms, and Giovanni [Pernice] open his shirt, everyone watching will think, ‘Aah brilliant! We’re back to normal.’”
And while he may be partnered with former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, 57, Anton says there’s one contestant he can’t wait to meet:
NFL hero Jason Bell.
MASSIVE FAN
He reveals, “I am a huge American football fan, not many people know that! At this time of year, I love watching NFL, so I am uber-excited that Jason is on Strictly. He’s the fella I want to dance with, so I can talk to him about American football!
“The other contestant I’m looking forward to seeing is Bill Bailey. I’m a massive fan of Bill. I love his humour, it’s so clever, and he’s super-talented playing so many instruments.
“Although it will be different this year, because we’re not going to spend time together the way we normally would on a Friday and Saturday, as we have to be socially distant. Obviously, we will hang out, but two metres away from each other.”
Anton adds, “This year is a classic Strictly line-up. Caroline Quentin will be a great contestant – she’s legendary and will be enormous fun! Maisie Smith looks like a terrific dancer, too.”
In line with COVID-19 guidelines, Anton has formed a support bubble with dance partner Jacqui for the series. It’s thought he is staying as normal with his family in his Buckinghamshire home, while Jacqui lives alone after splitting from her husband of 33 years, Richard Timney, in January.
Last weekend saw the pair dancing the foxtrot to Monty Python’s Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, and Anton says he’s enjoying her enthusiasm.
“Jacqui is doing wonderfully,” he says. “She has a great sense of humour and a real enthusiasm for the show, so what more can you want in a partner? I always say if my partner has some dancing skill, that will go quite a long way, but as long as they love Strictly and have a sense of humour, then we’ll be just fine!”
It may be 16 years since Anton first starred in Strictly, but he says he has no plans to quit. “Never!” he says. “I only do it because I love it.
For me, every year is a new show, a new partner and a new experience. Strictly has been life-changing for me and I have such a wonderful feeling of pride that I’ve been on it since the beginning with Craig, Bruno and Tess.”
DOWNTIME
But while Anton may be a selfconfessed extrovert, who loves being in front of the cameras, he’s also enjoyed plenty of time out of the spotlight this year. He spent lockdown tucked away in Buckinghamshire, along with his wife, marketing officer Hannah Summers, 43, and their three-year-old twins, George and Henrietta.
“After getting into the swing of things, it was lovely,” he says. “That’s why I married Hannah, because I think she’s terrific. I learned Spanish with the family and I also finished writing my latest book, A Christmas To Remember. It’s the third instalment in my series about the staff – and staff dancers – of the Buckingham Hotel in 1930s London. People tell me they are loving the books. I get so much great feedback and even more so now because, these days, people have more time to read!”
● A Christmas To Remember by Anton Du Beke is out 29 October in hardback, ebook and audio
‘Strictly has been life - changing
for me’