Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has revealed the reason why he changed his name. The ballroom dancer has been a permanent judge on Strictly since 2021, when he replaced Bruno Tonioli from season 19.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 at the weekend, the former Strictly pro dancer was quizzed about changing his name.
Born Anthony Paul Beke, the dancer decided to change his name to Anton Du Beke "to start again".
Host Adrian Chiles asked Du Beke about the rebrand, saying: "Did you not think you could've been the success you've been if you just stuck with Tony Beke?"
Du Beke responded by saying that "those two things don't correlate", explaining: "I wanted to start again in my life, and so I started with me."
"One thing doesn't sort of drive the other thing," he added about the name change.
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"For me, it was all about being successful in what I was doing," he then said, looking back on his career. "I decided I wanted to do this, and so that's what I did. And everything that I did was geared towards being good at this."
Du Beke and his longtime dancing partner Erin Boag were scouted for the first season of Strictly Come Dancing, which aired in 2004.
Du Beke was partnered with classical singer Lesley Garrett, with the couple placing sixth place. Boag and her celebrity partner, rugby player Martin Offiah, were eliminated in fifth place the following week.
Boag competed until the tenth series of Strictly, while Du Beke stayed on as a pro dancer until season 18, which aired in 2020.
In 2020, Du Beke served as a temporary judge, filling in for Motsi Mabuse after he and pro partner Jacqui Smith were eliminated first. Du Beke was then asked to be a permanent judge for the following year.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
