Anton Du Beke makes emotional family admission after revealing dad stabbed him

02 August 2023 , 20:47

1111     0

Anton Du Beke reveals 'role model father-in-law' in emotional admission about family

Strictly Come Dancing professional Anton Du Beke has revealed a touching confession about where he takes parenting inspiration from.

The dancer and now Strictly judge opened up to presenter Kate Garraway as part of Life Stories on ITV tonight (Wednesday 2nd August), where he revealed he's always wanted to be a father. The star also opened up about his difficult relationship with his own father, who hated him being a dancer and one night attacked him so viciously that he spent three days in hospital.

The 57-year-old revealed that instead of turning to his own father he takes inspiration on how to be a great father to his own two children from his father-in-law instead.

Anton Du Beke is father to twins with wife Hannah Summers (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

The professional dancer is now a judge on Strictly Come Dancing (BBC)

Speaking to Kate, Anton admitted: "What I was sure about was that if I were to have children, it would be with the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with - and then I met Hannah." Kate then asked if Anton ever thought about his own Hungarian dad Antal now that Anton himself is a parent to twins George and Henrietta, who were born in 2017. Describing himself as "the luckiest guy in the world" now he's a father, Anton responded: "I don’t think about it. I’ve never given it a second thought. I don't let him influence me at all, not a moment's thought. If I need a role model on how to be a great father I look at my father-in-law. What a guy, what a man. If you need an example of what it's all about then I look to him."

Anton got emotional as he revealed he sees his father-in-law as a parenting 'role model'

In the show, Anton also previously recalled how he was stabbed in the leg and stomach by his father who hated Anton's love of dancing and performing. Anton explained: "I got stabbed in the leg and in the stomach because of a fight on Boxing Day. It was idiotic. An idiotic situation. I remember walking out of the house to walk up to the hospital, holding my leg, and a police car drove past and I waved him down.

Corrie's Sue Cleaver says I'm A Celebrity stint helped her to push boundaries

"And I said ‘he’s in there with a knife’ - anyway they carted him off and I ended up in hospital for three or four days. You’ve got an alcoholic father and a situation where, if you’re in the house and he’s drinking, you end up with the fights and stuff. You’d move room to get away from it and he’d follow you in and then the violence starts."

Anton opened up to presenter Kate Garraway in Life Stories (ITV/Callum McCarron/REX/Shutterstock)

Whilst his relationship with his father isn't strong, Anton then opened up about his relationship with his mum, Ascensión, explaining how she had supported him through the toughest of times and had always backed his dream of becoming a professional dancer one day.

He explained: "She funded everything. I had nothing. I left school - I didn’t take a single exam. No academic qualifications whatsoever. The mantra in our house was to get a job and work. Mum would prop me up financially, I’d turn up with a cheque for my lesson."

Niamh Spence