Anton Du Beke has said he was “embarrassed” after his father stabbed him in the leg and stomach, in a violent incident that occurred when the Strictly Come Dancing judge was in his mid-twenties.
Du Beke, 60, opened up about his childhood in a new autobiography, titled Steps in Time.
In the book, he writes about his fraught relationship with father, Antal Xavier Beke, a Hungarian waiter who had fled his home country after the revolution in 1956.
Antal, who died in 2001, was, Du Beke says, a violent alcoholic. The incident in question occurred on Boxing day in the family’s home in Kent.
While the future TV star was on the phone to his dance teacher, his father attacked him. After staggering into the street, he was rushed to hospital, where he stayed for four days.
Speaking to The Times, Du Beke says he “doesn’t honestly know” if his father was charged after being “carted off”, and that he “never laid eyes on [his father] again”.
Claiming that he felt “embarrassed” by the attack, he told people he had torn a hamstring.
In the book, he writes that the incident, and his father’s arrest, led to his parents getting a divorce. “I don’t want people to give me sympathy… and it’s not the defining moment of my life,” he writes. “I try not to spend too much time thinking about him.”
Addressing his relationship with his father, the Strictly mainstay remarked to The Times: “I don’t want people to think it defines me, but everybody’s an armchair psychologist. They go, ‘Oh, I see!’ No, I promise you don’t see. I don’t drink. Before people know my father’s an alcoholic they go, ‘He doesn’t drink.’ Now it’s, ‘I know why!’ Not the case.
“I tried drinking when I was 17 and was sick all over the place. Two pints of beer, head spinning, the whole thing. I’ve got no constitution and it’s hugely expensive. I’d rather spend the money on dancing lessons.”
Du Beke said that he prefers to “laugh off” the traumatic experience – noting this is something he shares with fellow Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood, who has also spoken about his experiences with an abusive father.
“Well, it’s funny, isn’t it? Like all these things, any good story turns into a lovely anecdote with time,” Du Beke told the publication.
“I don’t want to be 85 looking back going, ‘Oh, I wasted a lot of time worrying about that.’ It was then, not now. I’m a 60-year-old man with two children. Why am I bothered about all of that? I can’t be. I have to move on.”
Steps in Time: The Moments that Made Me is published on 5 November.
The national domestic abuse helpline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Refuge website. There is a dedicated men's advice line on 0808 8010 327. Those in the US can call the domestic violence hotline on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
