Anton Du Beke became tearful as he opened up about his relationship with his mother on Kate Garraway’s Life Stories on Wednesday.
During his emotional appearance, the Strictly Come Dancing star revealed that his mother Ascensión had been unwell as he praised her for supporting him during his early years on the BBC show.
In the interview, the 57-year-old explained how he’d grown up in an abusive household, and was stabbed as a child in the stomach and the leg by his father on Boxing Day – leaving him in hospital for three days.
Speaking about the BBC ballroom stalwart, the pro-turned-judge told Garraway that when he first joined the Strictly lineup he was still living with his mother, and fought back tears as he revealed she wasn’t able to be in the studio for his interview due to ill health.
He said: “In the early days, yeah, because it was only me and Mum, because we were together it was just me and Mum.”
Becoming visibly upset, the BBC star continued: “She’s not been well, you see, and she’s amazing, and it makes me sad because what we were talking about earlier as well.
“You want people to have the best life and she’s not been well and I hope that she’s had a great time certainly since I started doing Strictly.”
Born to a Spanish mother and Hungarian father, Du Beke lived on a council estate in Sevenoaks, and discovered his flair for dancing after picking his sister up from the local studio.
Although his mother encouraged his new hobby, his father “took a turn” against Du Beke as alcoholism gripped him, revealing on the ITV show: “The alcoholism and the violence… [it was] towards me, because I was a boy, a young man I suppose.
“…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. I ended up in hospital for three days.
“I got stabbed, I’ve never said this out loud before,” he said struggling to hold back his tears on the ITV show.
Du Beke said he was sure his family and friends did not know about the attack because he never saw any gain from speaking about his ordeal, telling Garraway: “I’m a forward looker… I don’t like to look back, I like to look forward.”
Recalling the incident, he continued: “I got stabbed in the leg and in the stomach because of a fight on Boxing Day and it was an idiotic situation.
“I remember walking out of the house to walk up to the hospital holding my leg and a police car drove past and I waved them down and I said, ‘He’s in there with a knife’.
“Anyway, they carted him off and I ended up in hospital for three or four days. My only concern was getting back into the studio and dancing and the embarrassment of it.”
Du Beke said he told people he had “pulled a hamstring” when asked about his leg injury because he was embarrassed.
The professional dancer told host Garraway: “I can’t really believe I’m talking to you about this. I should’ve glossed over this.
“Even the thought of [the attack] being a thing sort of annoys me as well.”
Garraway said Du Beke’s father was cleared in court of wounding his son and when he died, Du Beke did not attend his funeral.
“Everything was about moving forwards, I felt sorry for my mum, this was her husband, she’s working two jobs and he chose to drink and be violent, it’s just life and you carry on,” he said.
