Anton Du Beke has bravely opened up in a shocking new interview to reveal he was stabbed by his father as a child.
The popular TV figure – who has been a mainstay on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing since 2004 as both a pro dancer and now a judge – has sat down with presenter Kate Garraway for her new Life Stories interview series this week to give a previously-unrevealed glimpse into his childhood and some of the traumatic things he experienced.
Seen fighting to hold back tears as he spoke, the 57-year-old told Garraway that his father Antal “took a turn” against him after being gripped by alcoholism, and even went as far as to stabbing him when he was living at their family home on a council estate in Kent.
Du Beke revealed that his father stabbed him in the stomach and leg on Boxing Day one time, and admitted that he has “never said this out loud before”.
“The alcoholism and the violence… [it was] towards me,” Du Beke told Garraway as he opened up, “Because I was a boy, a young man I suppose.
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“You’ve got an alcoholic father and a situation where if you’re in the house [he’s] drinking then you end up with the fights and stuff. You’d move room to get away from all of it and then he follows you in and the next thing you know the violence starts and then it came to a head one evening.”
Escaping after the attack, Du Beke confirmed that he managed to flag-down a police car as he walked to the nearest hospital clutching his leg.
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Despite the shocking nature of the incident, the professional dancer admitted to Garraway that he never told his wider family and circle of friends about the attack as he was “embarrassed” about it, and explained that he also never saw any benefit of speaking out.
Viewers were informed that Du Beke’s father was cleared in court of the attack, and when he died, Du Beke did not attend his funeral.
In the aftermath of the event, the then-aspiring dancer decided to change his name “from Tony Beke, who grew up on a council estate” to “Anton Du Beke, The Show Man”.
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“I wanted a new start and a new beginning,” he said.
“I wanted to leave what went before, behind, and then move on with the rest of my life, I just wanted to be me.”
Anton Du Beke’s episode of Kate Garraway’s Life Stories airs tonight on ITV at 9pm.
Featured Image – ITV
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A company has created some extremely sarcastic greeting and birthday cards mocking Co-op Live
Danny Jones
A UK card company has decided to join in with the pile on over Co-op Live’s chaotic ‘opening’ weeks by creating a series of greeting and birthday cards mocking the arena and its ongoing saga.
If you’re a deeply sarcastic person who struggles to be sincere with those you hold nearest and dearest or simply want to get a co-worker something that says we care that you’re leaving but not so much as to let go without one final dig, these are right up your street.
So, with that in mind, greeting card company thortful – who are just as good at novelty as they are being actually thoughtful when it comes to words – have come up with a few clever little ways of wishing someone a happy birthday or congratulating them on their new home at the arena’s expense.
Not bad, to be fair.
Tim Leiweke, Chairman and CEO of Oak View Group (which owns and operates Co-op Live), recently released a statement offering his ‘sincere apologies’ and explaining the steps being taken during the venue’s ‘short pause’.
He admitted, “It’s not been the smooth start we had planned for, and I know that has caused a huge amount of disruption and frustration to thousands of people”, adding that they are “working incredibly hard to get the building up and running, and we look forward to welcoming you to the arena from 14 May 2024.”
The London-based card company is known for lots of comedy captions and with every Tom, Dick and Harry taking a pop at the venue already, they clearly thought ‘We might as well join in’.
In fact, they’ve been taking the mick ever since the whole thing kicked off.
The date mentioned above will see Manc music legends Elbow arrive as the venue’s new opening act artists after so many other acts ended up having their gigs pulled and we can only hope and pray that everything is on course for next week.
With more and more names being announced for their 2024 and 2025 calendar left right and centre, the most recent being rapper Travis Scott, it looks as though they’re confident that the arena will open and live up to the expectations it has built up given its billing as the biggest indoor entertainment in the UK.
As for thortful and everyone else, we just have to wait with bated breath to see if there’s set to be another twist in this tale and enjoy the light-hearted jokes in the meantime.
You can now catch a direct flight from Manchester to Italy’s ‘best kept secret’ for only £15
Emily Sergeant
Looking for your next holiday destination? Well now you can catch a direct flight from Manchester to Italy’s ‘best kept secret’.
Temperatures have finally been hotting up, and the rain has mostly cleared off across Greater Manchester over this last week or so, but as the sun hasn’t always shown its face, this means many of us will likely be thinking about hopping on a plane to another country where the warmer weather is more of a regular occurrence.
Coincidentally, Manchester Airport has just become the first UK airport to form a direct flight link to the stunning southern Italian region of Calabria.
You can now catch a direct flight from Manchester to Italy’s ‘best kept secret’ / Credit: Unsplash | Wikimedia Commons
If you’re unfamiliar with Calabria, not only is it one of Italy’s most affordable regions to visit, but it also home to some outstanding white sandy beaches, picturesque scenery, culture and architecture, and a truly authentic food scene.
The region is often dubbed one of Italy’s “best kept secrets” by travel writers and tourists.
Having officially taken to the skies at the end of last month (28 April), flights from Manchester Airport to Reggio Calabria are now running exclusively with Ryanair on Wednesdays and Sundays, and you can book your trip now from as little as £14.99 per person one-way.
Calabria is found at ‘toe’ of Italy’s ‘boot’, and the city of Reggio Calabria faces the island of Sicily across Strait of Messina to provide visitors with an ideal base to explore the wider region.
As mentioned, the Calabria region is one of the most affordable parts of Italy to visit, and while it has long been popular with Italian tourists, international visitors are only just beginning to discover this hidden gem.
Manchester Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer, Stephen Turner, says the airport is “proud” to connect people in the North with an “outstanding range of destinations”, with over 200 routes served by more than 50 airlines, but he admitted that Ryanair’s new service to Reggio Calabria is “an exciting one”.
Flights are now open to book from as little as £14.99 per person one-way / Credit: Suhyeon Choi (via Unsplash)
“It’s a brand-new destination for us,” Mr Turner explained.
“And it isn’t currently served by any other UK airport either, so it gives our passengers even more choice.
“Visitors travelling to Calabria will love the blend of culture, cuisine and spectacular beaches that it provides, so we’re confident that this new route will be popular with our passengers.”