Anton Du Beke has opened up about the horrific attack by his alcoholic father that left him hospitalised for four days and brought their relationship to an abrupt end
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has opened up about a harrowing childhood incident that resulted in him requiring emergency medical care and permanently severed ties with his father.
The professional dancer, 60, was raised in a council house in Sevenoaks, Kent, with his two younger siblings and parents, Ascensión and Antal. His mother had fled Franco’s Spain, while his Hungarian father had escaped in the wake of the 1956 revolution.
Yet Antal battled alcoholism and inflicted years of violence upon his family. The situation ultimately came to a devastating head on Boxing Day, when Anton was in his mid-twenties.
While on the telephone to his dance teacher, Anton was stabbed by his father in the leg and stomach. He succeeded in getting outside and flagging down a passing police vehicle before being rushed to hospital, where he spent four days recovering.
Reflecting on what followed in The Times, Anton said: “The police carted him off, [but] after [the stabbing] I never laid eyes on him again,” reports the Express.
He confessed he remained uncertain whether his father had faced charges over the assault, revealing that he had felt ashamed about what transpired and initially hid the reality from those close to him.
Instead, he informed others that he had torn a hamstring.
When questioned about why he had not been more forthcoming about his father, Anton said: “To what end would I have talked [about my dad]? It would have made no difference at all.”
He also revealed why he’d never felt compelled to pursue therapy, stating: “I don’t know why! I’m sure it helps some people. It wasn’t for me. You crack on. I knew what I wanted to do and I went on to do it.”
Anton, who resides in Buckinghamshire with his wife and their nine-year-old twins, was also determined to emphasise that his father’s conduct hadn’t shaped his own existence, especially regarding alcohol.
“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,” he said.
The Strictly judge, who has been part of the BBC show since it began in 2004, also touched upon how he and fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood, who has previously opened up about his own abusive alcoholic father, choose to reflect on their past.
“Well, it’s funny, isn’t it? Like all these things, any good story turns into a lovely anecdote with time,” Anton said.
He continued: “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.”
Anton’s father passed away in 2001, with the dancer remembering the sudden phone call that delivered the news.
When questioned whether he required additional details, Anton’s reply was direct: “Oh, excellent. OK. Thank you.”
He revealed that the caller was taken aback by his response, but the news hadn’t especially affected him.
Meanwhile, Anton’s mother, Ascensión, is currently residing in a nursing home after being diagnosed with dementia, something he described as especially challenging given the woman she once was.
“She was an extraordinary woman, so to see her diminished in this way is tragic,” he said.
Steps in Time: The Moments that Made Me by Anton Du Beke is out on November 5.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
