Anton Du Beke has commented on reports of a potential Strictly Come Dancing special at Buckingham Palace saying it would work “amazingly” after rumours of a show-special emerged at the weekend. The former Strictly professional. and now judge on the BBC One show seemed to love the idea when he was asked about it on Good Morning Britain today.
According to The Sun, a live Strictly show will be broadcast from the palace ballroom during either the semi or quarter-finals of the series later this year and it's thought that the royals themselves are supporters of the show. Speaking about the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Du Beke said: “They have been great fans of the show over the years. I would love to say yes. I don’t know about the show, I hope so. I would like to go and have a dance with someone.”
Du Beke, 55, has previously danced in the palace’s ballroom, which was completed in 1855 during the reign of Queen Victoria and features a musicians’ gallery and an organ. He said: “They have a beautiful ballroom. I have had the great pleasure of dancing in it.
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“If it was a true story, it would be brilliant. It would work amazingly. Just imagine the audience members!” Anton also remarked that he had “heard through the grapevine” that he is Charles and Camilla’s favourite dancer on the show. He was the programme’s longest-serving professional dancer, having been a fixture on the show since it began in 2004, until joining the judging panel last year to stand in for Bruno Tonioli.
Last month, Tonioli confirmed he had left the show for good after 14 years, with Du Beke becoming a regular fixture on the panel. In 2017, Camilla featured during the Strictly Christmas special, dancing with judge Craig Revel Horwood and former professional dancer Brendan Cole at Buckingham Palace.
She also made a surprise appearance during the 2020 final, thanking the cast and crew for their work during the pandemic. The forthcoming series will be the first since the departures of previous winners Aljaz Skorjanec and Oti Mabuse. Mabuse, 31, announced in February that she was leaving, while Skorjanec, 32, revealed he was quitting via Instagram on March 28.
Strictly Come Dancing will be back on BBC1 later this year.
