Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke says his father beat him as a child: ‘He’d just fly off the handle’

Professional dancer has been partnered with Labour MP Jacqui Smith for this year’s competition

Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke has revealed that his late father was physically abusive towards him when he was a child.

The professional dancer, who has starred on the BBC reality contest since it launched in 2004, told The Times how his Hungarian father, Antal, would beat him with a belt, and was often drunk.

The 54-year-old said that while Antal was never violent towards his mother or Du Beke’s siblings, he would take his anger out on the future dancing star.

“He was the hard, eastern European type. Heavy drinker, heavy smoker,” he said.

“It was a different time and you'd have the belt taken to you and stuff like that… He'd just fly off the handle and he was always slightly aggressive anyway.”

Du Beke added: “There was always the moment when you came home and opened the front door thinking, ‘I hope he’s not home,’ and trying to avoid him, and not going into the room he was in because there was no benefit of being in the same room as him.”

Du Beke’s parents eventually divorced, and the dancer cut off all contact with his father. The next time he heard of him was when he was at his mother’s house, and they received a call from the coroner’s office.

“I knew he was going to tell me my father had died and I didn't care,” Du Beke said.“Or want to know. He was a stranger to me. That sounds a bit harsh and I don't mean to sound like that.”

Du Beke has been paired up with Labour MP Jacqui Smith for this year’s competition.

The couple will make their debut with a Foxtrot on tonight’s (Saturday 24 October) episode of Strictly Come Dancing at 7.15pm on BBC One.