Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke has opened up about his dance career and the ‘internal crisis’ that almost led him to quitting before a major opportunity came his way

Photo of BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Anton Du Beke smiling and posing with his arms out in amazement. He is on the red carpet at the 2022 Pride of Britain Awards.

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Anton admits he had a devastating career crisis(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has revealed that he nearly hung up his dancing shoes before a golden opportunity on the hit BBC show came his way.

Starting his dance journey relatively late, the 58 year old admitted he was a “lunatic” who was “obsessed” with succeeding and proving his worth.

He began competing with fellow professional dancer Erin Boag, and after their partnership formed in 1997, they went on to clinch the 1998 and 1999 New Zealand Championships.

After turning professional three years later, they continued their winning run. However, Anton confessed he would get “upset” when they didn’t win or received negative feedback, sometimes leaving him feeling “depressed”.

Looking back on a particularly tough time, he said: “I remember we did a competition, a big competition. We did the French Open in Paris and did really badly. I mean, so badly, in this competition and I was really depressed about the whole thing.”, as reported by the Mirror, reports Wales Online.

Photo of BBC Strictly Come Dancing presenters Anton du Beke, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman holding a large silver trophy in front of them. They won the Best Talent Show award at the 2024 National Television Awards.

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Strictly Come Dancing stars Anton du Beke, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman(Image: Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTA’s)

“We weren’t getting on very well. Everything was a battle. We had not a penny, you know, I earned £100 a week and spent £120.”

Discussing his struggles on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast, Anton added: “Everything was horrendous. Danced badly, not doing very well in competitions and that was everything to me.”

He confessed to enduring “an internal crisis” during which he contemplated quitting his career before eventually deciding to continue, recalling: “[I remember] thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to have to chuck this in because I’m wasting my life’.”

The father-of-two quickly recognised he had no other calling, so he resolved to carry on and invest greater energy, according to Bristol Live.

As his celebrity grew, he was presented with the opportunity to become a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, which launched in 2004.

Following numerous years twirling across the dance floor with different famous partners, he earned a spot on the judging panel in 2021.

Together with judge Craig Revel Horwood, the duo represent the programme’s most enduring figures, sharing assessment responsibilities with Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse.