Anton du Beke
| Anton du Beke | |
|---|---|
|
du Beke and Erin Boag at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, January 2008 | |
| Born |
Anthony Paul Beke 20 July 1966 Sevenoaks, Kent, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Hungarian-Spanish |
| Occupation |
Professional ballroom dancer television presenter |
| Television |
Strictly Come Dancing (2004—present) Hole in the Wall |
Anthony Paul Beke (born 20 July 1966), known professionally as Anton du Beke, is an English ballroom dancer and television presenter, best known as a professional dancer on the BBC One celebrity dancing show Strictly Come Dancing since the show began in 2004. In 2009, he presented the UK version of Hole in the Wall, for the BBC, replacing Dale Winton after being a team captain in 2008.
His professional dance partner since 1997 has been Erin Boag.
Family and early life
du Beke was born in Sevenoaks, Kent to a Hungarian father, Antal Xavier Beke (1939-2001), and a Spanish mother, Ascensión (née Lema).[1] He also has two younger siblings. He attended Wildernesse School in Sevenoaks.
du Beke began dancing at 14, when he discovered his local dance school, the Holton School of Dancing in Sevenoaks. The school was run by Beryl Holton together with her mother Velda and later with her husband Stephen Turner. He took his first dancing exam in June 1981 and started competitive dancing a few years later. He had three partners during these formative years before the Holton School of Dancing closed in 1987 when Beryl and Stephen Turner moved with his banking career to Dorset. Du Beke left school at 16 to follow an amateur dancing career. At 17 he decided to specialise in ballroom. Whilst he danced during the evenings and at weekends he had a day job as a salesman in "The Bed Post" in Petts Wood, South London where he was known as Tony Beke.[2]
du Beke lives in Buckinghamshire with girlfriend Hannah.[3]
Career
Strictly Come Dancing
He has appeared in all thirteen series of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. In more recent years, a running joke has been that Du Beke is always partnered with the poorer dancers, who often score very low marks. In the first series, he danced with singer Lesley Garrett and finished in third place. For the second series, he partnered presenter Esther Rantzen; they were eliminated in the third week. He danced with actress Patsy Palmer for the third series and finished in fifth place. In the fourth series, he danced with actress and impressionist Jan Ravens but was eliminated in week 5 of the competition. His partner for the fifth series was TV presenter Kate Garraway; the couple was voted out in week 7. His partner for the sixth series was actress Gillian Taylforth; the couple was voted out in week 2. In series seven, he was partnered with Laila Rouass. Together, they made it to week 12.
In series 8, he partnered Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe and had made it through to week 10. For its ninth series, Nancy Dell'Olio was Anton's partner, the couple were eliminated in week 5. His partner for the tenth series was model and actress Jerry Hall. They were eliminated in week 3. His partner for series 11 was actress Fiona Fullerton. They were eliminated in week 8 in Blackpool. For the show's twelfth series, his partner was tennis coach Judy Murray. They were also eliminated on week 8 in Blackpool. For series 13, Du Beke was partnered with newscaster and presenter Katie Derham they made it to Du Beke's first final in all 13 series and were eliminated in fourth place.
Du'beke has also appeared on a number of Children in Need and Christmas Special's of Strictly Come Dancing. In 2008 he won the Children in Need 2008, special dancing an American Smooth with Tess Daly. He dance once again with Anne Widdecombe in the 2012 Children in Need special but lost out to Russell Grant and Flavia Cacace. He did however go on to win the Children in Need 2014 special where he and fellow dancer Natalie Lowe taught a group of children how to dance. Du'beke has also repriced his partnership with Lesley Garret for the 2004 Christmas special. He has also dance with Ronni Ancona, Su Pollard and Katy Brand in the respective 2010, 2011 and 2012 Christmas specials. In 2015 Du'beke served as a judge on the The People's Strictly a one off version of the show where non-celebrities compete for Comic Relief.
| Celebrity partner | Place | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesley Garrett | 3rd |
| 2 | Esther Rantzen | 8th |
| 3 | Patsy Palmer | 5th |
| 4 | Jan Ravens | 9th |
| 5 | Kate Garraway | 9th |
| 6 | Gillian Taylforth | 15th |
| 7 | Laila Rouass | 4th |
| 8 | Ann Widdecombe | 6th |
| 9 | Nancy Dell'Olio | 11th |
| 10 | Jerry Hall | 13th |
| 11 | Fiona Fullerton | 9th |
| 12 | Judy Murray | 9th |
| 13 | Katie Derham | 4th |
Other television appearances
In March 2007 du Beke was a contestant on the BBC Two series The Underdog Show and was paired with homeless dog Ginger, they were eliminated in week three of the competition.
Du Beke has presented the BBC cookery show Step Up to the Plate. He served as a captain and from series 2 the host on the UK version of Hole in the Wall, which premiered on 20 September 2008 on BBC One. On 24 December 2009, he appeared in Victoria Wood's Midlife Christmas, in a sketch called "Beyond The Marigolds", where he spoofed his Strictly Come Dancing role by being paired with fictional soap star "Bo Beaumont" (played by Julie Walters). Beaumont quit the show when unable to master Du Beke's warm up steps.
During the week of 5 to 9 May 2014, Du Beke appeared on Channel 4 game show Draw It!.[4]
In 2011 Du Beke won the Rear of the Year award.
Strictly Come Dancing performances
Series 1 - with celebrity partner Lesley Garrett; placed 3rd
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "He Was Beautiful" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 29 | No elimination |
| 2 | Rumba / "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Sensation" | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "La Cumparsita" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Bottom two |
| 5 | Samba / "Mas que Nada" | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 6 | Foxtrot / "I've Got You Under My Skin" Cha-Cha-Cha / "Spinning Around" |
8 6 |
8 6 |
9 7 |
9 7 |
34 26 |
Bottom two |
| 7 | Quickstep / "That Old Black Magic" Jive / "My Baby Just Cares for Me" |
8 7 |
8 7 |
8 8 |
9 7 |
33 29 |
Third place |
Series 2 - with celebrity partner Esther Rantzen; placed 8th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "Moon River" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 24 | Safe |
| 2 | Rumba / "The Look of Love" | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 16 | Bottom two |
| 3 | Tango / "Tanguera" | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 16 | Eliminated |
Series 3 - with celebrity partner Patsy Palmer; placed 5th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "Fly Me to the Moon" | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 19 | Safe |
| 2 | Rumba / "She" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Una Musica Brutal" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Go Back to My Roots" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 6 | Quickstep / "Lover Come Back to Me" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Bottom two |
| 7 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "A Little Less Conversation" | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 24 | Bottom two |
| 8 | Jive / "Two Hearts" American Smooth / "It Had to Be You" |
6 7 |
6 8 |
7 8 |
8 8 |
27 31 |
Eliminated |
Series 4 - with celebrity partner Jan Ravens; placed 9th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 2 | Quickstep / "When You're Smiling" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / "Do You Wanna Dance" | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "Night and Day" | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 24 | Bottom two |
| 5 | Viennese Waltz / "Iris" | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 25 | Eliminated |
Series 5 - with celebrity partner Kate Garraway; placed 8th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 2 | Quickstep / "Love Machine" | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 15 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "They" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | Safe |
| 4 | Samba / "Dancing Queen" | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 16 | Safe |
| 5 | Foxtrot / "I Could Write a Book" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 6 | Salsa / "Peanut Vendor" | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 7 | Paso Doble / "Somebody Told Me" | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 21 | Eliminated |
Series 6 - with celebrity partner Gillian Taylforth; placed 15th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 2 | Foxtrot / "Razzle Dazzle" | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 22 | Eliminated |
Series 7 - with celebrity partner Laila Rouass; placed 4th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | ||||
| 2 | Tango / "El Choclo" Cha-Cha-Cha / "Sway" |
7 6 |
8 7 |
7 6 |
8 6 |
30 25 |
Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Strike Up the Band" | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 30 | Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "Just in Time" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 | Safe |
| 5 | Jive / "Modern Love" | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 22 | Safe |
| 6 | Samba / "He's the Greatest Dancer" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 7 | Viennese Waltz / "Once Around the Block" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 8 | Paso Doble / "Layla" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 91 | Rumba / "Rule the World" | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 10 | Waltz / "Fascination" | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 29 | Bottom two |
| 11 | Charleston / "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" | 6 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 12 | American Smooth / "My Kind of Girl" Salsa / "Cogele el Gusto" |
6, 62 5, 52 |
7 6 |
7 5 |
7 5 |
33 26 |
Eliminated |
1 Rouass and du Beke only performed half of their routine, due to an injury.
2 Scores from guest judge Darcey Bussell.
Series 8 - with celebrity partner Ann Widdecombe; placed 6th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "My Cherie" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 | No elimination |
| 2 | Salsa / "Mambo Italiano" | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 12 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Puttin' On the Ritz" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 4 | Tango / "La Cumparsita" | 3 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 21 | Safe |
| 5 | Paso Doble / "Wild Thing" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | Safe |
| 6 | Charleston / "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 17 | Safe |
| 7 | Foxtrot / "You Make Me Feel So Young" | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | Safe |
| 8 | Samba / "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 13 | Safe |
| 9 | Rumba / "My Heart Will Go On" | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 14 | Safe |
| 10 | American Smooth / "Hello Dolly" | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 14 | Eliminated |
Series 9 - with celebrity partner Nancy Dell'Olio; placed 11th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "In Napoli" | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 12 | No elimination |
| 2 | Salsa / "Papa Loves Mambo" | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 14 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Be Italian" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 20 | Bottom two |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | Bottom two |
| 5 | Rumba / "Spooky" | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 14 | Eliminated |
Series 10 - with celebrity partner Jerry Hall; placed 13th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | No elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot / "Pennies from Heaven" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Mrs. Robinson" | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 18 | Eliminated |
Series 11 - with celebrity partner Fiona Fullerton; placed 9th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "A View to a Kill" | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 24 | No elimination |
| 2 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Beggin'" | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 22 | Safe |
| 3 | Waltz / "True Love" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 4 | Rumba / "World Of Our Own" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "If My Friends Could See Me Now" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 6 | Charleston / "Jeepers Creepers" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 7 | Paso Doble / "Song 2" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 8 | American Smooth / "Come Fly with Me" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | Eliminated |
Series 12 - with celebrity partner Judy Murray; placed 9th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "Mull of Kintyre" | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 18 | No elimination |
| 2 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "She's a Lady" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Don't Rain on My Parade" | 3 | 5, 53 | 5 | 5 | 23 | Safe |
| 4 | Tango / "Jealousy" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 5 | Charleston / "Varsity Drag" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 6 | American Smooth / "Cruella de Vil" | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | Safe |
| 7 | Paso Doble / "I Fought the Law" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "Let's Go Fly a Kite" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 24 | Eliminated |
3 Score from guest judge Donny Osmond.
Series 13 - with celebrity partner Katie Derham; placed 4th
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Jive / "Roll Over Beethoven" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | No elimination |
| 2 | Tango / "Telephone" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 3 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Pretty Woman" | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 20 | Safe |
| 4 | Viennese Waltz / "If I Can Dream" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 5 | Salsa / "It had better be tonight" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 21 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "The Phantom of the Opera" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 21 | Safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "42nd Street" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 26 | Safe |
| 8 | Rumba / "Never Never Never" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 9 | American Smooth/"Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 10 | Argentine Tango/"Libertango" Quickstep-athon / Sing, Sing, Sing |
7 Awarded |
8 5 |
8 Extra |
9 Points |
37 | Safe |
| 11 | Foxtrot / "Maybe This Time" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 12 | Charleston / "Too Darn Hot" Waltz / "O mio babbino caro" |
4 8 |
7 9 |
7 7 |
7 7 |
25 31 |
Bottom Two |
| 13 | Quickstep / "42nd Street" Showdance / "O Fortuna" |
7 7 |
8 8 |
8 8 |
8 8 |
31 31 |
Eliminated |
Books
Du Beke has released a book called Anton's Dance Class (published by Kyle Cathie, London, 2007), which has been serialised in the Mail on Sunday.[5]
Du Beke's A-Z on Ballroom Dancing, B is for Ballroom, (published by Constable, London, 2012) is also now available.[6]
Philanthrophy
Du Beke is an honorary patron of The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.[7]
References
- ↑ Anton Du Beke biodata
- ↑ "Anton du Beke interviewed by Kent Life". Kent Life. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ Catherine Jones (8 August 2014). "Strictly star Anton du Beke ready and waiting for Southport Flower Show - win a champagne tea with him!". liverpoolecho.
- ↑ "Draw it!". digiguide.tv.
- ↑ "Anton's Book".; ISBN 1-85626-731-8
- ↑ "B is for Ballroom".; ISBN 9781472100689
- ↑ "About Us". The Music Hall Guild. Retrieved 2010.
External links
- "Anton du Beke". Official website.
- "Anton du Beke and Erin Boag". Official website of the partnership.
- Anton du Beke at the Internet Movie Database
- "Up Close with Ballroom's Arch Seducer". The Daily Telegraph (London). 21 December 2004. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- Gordon, Jane (19 October 2007). "Anton du Beke Dances with Cherie and Tony Blair". Daily Mail (London).
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