ANTON Du Beke has long been a favourite among Strictly fans, thanks to being on the show since it started in 2004.
But before finding fame, the star was raised in Kent and has opened up on life with his beloved mum Ascension and late father Antal.
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Who is Anton Du Beke’s father Antal?
Anton Du Beke was born on July 20, 1966, to Hungarian father Antal and Spanish mother Ascension.
After his parents divorced, the Strictly star had no contact with his dad, who passed away in 2001.
In August 2023, Anton told for the first time how he was stabbed by his father as he revealed the full extent of the abuse in a heartbreaking interview for Kate Garraway’s Life Stories
He recalled how he waved down a police car as he limped to hospital after the incident.
Pointing back to his house, he told cops: “He’s in there with a knife.”
Anton has previously opened up about his abusive father who would beat him with a belt.
The TV star recalled how Antal would often “fly off the handle” when he was young and it left him not “caring” when he died.
Anton described his dad as “a hard, Eastern European type. Heavy drinker, heavy smoker”.
He told The Times: “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.”
In the same interview he said he did not have any contact with his father following his parent’s divorce, and only heard of him again when he died in 2001.
He recalled the day he received a call from the coroner’s office.
Anton said he “knew why” they had called and told them to ring back when his mother was home so he did not have to discuss it.
Anton said: “I knew he was going to tell me my father had died and I didn’t care. Or want to know.
“He was a stranger to me. That sounds a bit harsh and I don’t mean to sound like that.”
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Who is Anton Du Beke’s mother Ascension?
As a child, Anton was raised in Sevenoaks mostly by his beloved mother Ascension, who was always supportive of his career ambitions.
She worked three jobs so he could afford to have dance lessons.
Speaking to the BBC Sounds podcast, When I was Young, Anton revealed how “proud” his mum has always been of him, and his Strictly career.
He said: “What I love more than anything else about being well known is the impact it has on my mum.
“I love the fact people know I’m my mum’s son and people know my mum.
“My mum is fabulous and lovely.
“I love that she’s sort of got a bit famous… and she comes along now and again to see the show and it’s great.”
Who is Anton Du Beke’s sister Veronica?
Veronica is Anton’s younger sister, and the pair are two of three children.
The siblings have remained close over the years – and it was Veronica who unwittingly started his passion for dancing.
In an interview with Reader’s Digest in 2018 he revealed that when he picked up his sister from her dance lesson he noticed it was full of girls.
He said: “I thought, ‘this is all right’ so the following week I went along a bit earlier.
“The teacher said ‘don’t just sit there, up you get and join in’ and that was it.”
During Kate Garraway’s Life Stories, Veronica echoed how their father Antal was against teenage Anton’s ballroom dance dreams.
She explained: “He used to call Anton gay and he took a turn against him.
“My dad’s drinking affected his mood — he was mean, he wasn’t a nice person when he was drunk.
“My dad was drinking his money down the toilet, so what Mum did was work nights in a nursing home. So she wasn’t there to protect us.”
Anton and Veronica also have a brother called Stephen, although less is known about him.
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