Anton Du Beke is hailed as ‘amazing’ by Life Stories viewers for his ‘courage and resilience’ as he first opens up about child abuse – as his emotional wife and sister watch live

Anton Du Beke has received a wave of support online after opening up on Kate Garraway’s Life Stories on Wednesday about growing up in an abusive household.

The 57-year-old Strictly Come Dancing judge emotionally revealed that he was stabbed in the abdomen and leg by his father as a child on Boxing Day, which left him in hospital for three days.

He explained that the revelations will probably come as a surprise to his friends and family, as it is the first time in his “entire life” that he has spoken about it.

His sister Veronica, 53, and wife Hannah Summers, 46, looked emotional as they watched from the live audience.

Viewers of the show took to Twitter to praise Anton for his bravery and express their admiration for his strength, declaring him a “national treasure.”

One person said, “You just never know what really goes on behind closed doors. A warm smile and brilliant humor can hide the horrifying truth. What a truly wonderful man.’

Another echoed, “What a lovely sweet guy @TheAntonDuBeke is, so sincere, thanks for sharing your story, keep watching, I totally agree.”

A third added: “Watching @TheAntonDuBeke on #LifeStories with @kategarraway honestly what a gentleman he is and taking what he’s been through, when he was younger he’s just as amazing as ever he’s loved by all ‘.

A fourth agreed, writing, “There’s so much to love about Anton Du Beke that it’s actually pretty ridiculous.” What a great guy.’

A fifth tweeted, “Oh, Anton, oh my heart. You have always been one of my favorites, but now I am totally in awe of your courage and resilience.

“I had to look back and work through things for my healing, but how we survive and heal is unique. I hope talking about #LifeStories has brought healing. Dance on!’

While a sixth chimed in saying, ‘@AntonDuBeke I’m sure this interview was very cathartic for you. ❤️‍ Keep shining like the ⭐️ that you are!’

And a seventh gushed: ‘I want to give Anton Du Beke a hug. I can see it’s so hard for him to talk about his past.’

Born to a Spanish mother and Hungarian father, Anton discovered his flair for dancing after picking up his sister Veronica from a local studio in town.

Although his mother encouraged his new hobby, his father, Antal, “took it off” against Anton when alcoholism took hold of him and he became violent at home.

During the show, Kate asked, “Was the violence against you?” with Anton replying, “Me, yes. I’ve actually never talked about this in my entire life. I wanted a fresh start, and a new beginning. I mean, I ended up in the hospital for three days, but it was…”

Kate said, “Did you?” Anton replied, “Yes.” She then asked, “Why, what happened?” Anton said: ‘I have, I have been stabbed. I’ve never said this out loud before.’

Anton also said, “The alcoholism and the violence… (it was) against me, because I was a boy, a young man I think.

‘…You have an alcoholic dad and a situation where if you’re in the house (he) is drinking, you end up with fights and stuff.

“You shift the room to get away from it all and then he follows you in and the next thing you know the violence starts and then it came to a head one night, I ended up in the hospital for three days.”

Anton said he was sure his family and friends knew nothing about the attack because he never saw any benefit in speaking about his ordeal. like to look ahead.’

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 a crazy situation.

“I remember walking out of the house to walk to the hospital holding my leg and a cop car going by and I waved them down and I said ‘he’s in there with a knife.’

“Anyway, they took him away and I ended up in the hospital for three or four days. My only concern was getting back in the studio and dancing and the embarrassment of it.”

Anton said he told people he had “stretched a hamstring” when asked about his leg injury because he was embarrassed.

He told host Kate, “I can’t quite believe I’m talking to you about this. I should have covered this up. Even the thought that that (the attack) is a thing irritates me a little too.”

Kate said that Anton’s father was acquitted by the court of injuring his son and that Anton did not attend his funeral when he died.

“It was all about progress, I felt sorry for my mom, this was her husband, she has two jobs and he chose to drink and be violent, it’s just life and you move on,” he said.

The aspiring dancer then changed his name ‘from Tony Beke, who grew up on a municipal estate’ to ‘Anton Du Beke, The Show Man’.

He said, “I wanted a fresh start and a new beginning and I wanted to leave what was before, behind me, and then move on with the rest of my life, I just wanted to be myself.”

Anton also said that his motivation to achieve success did not come from his father.

He added: “I hate, woe is me, I never sought any kind of affirmation or encouragement from him and I never did anything because of him.

“It wasn’t my motivation to do what I did.”

His sister Veronica Richards also appeared on the programme, revealing how their father would drunkenly abuse Anton for being ‘gay’ and turning against him for his love of dancing.

She recalled, “My father, I don’t think he was that impressed with Anton’s dancing, he always called him gay, he turned against Anton.

“My father’s drinking affected his mood. He was mean. He wasn’t a nice person when he was drunk.’

Speaking of the impact of their dad’s alcoholism on family life, she adds, “My dad drank his money down the toilet so mom worked nights at a nursing home, she wasn’t around the house, she wasn’t there to really help us.” to protect. ‘

After dropping out of school without any qualifications so he could pursue a dancing career, Veronica reveals that their father offended Anton even more.

She explained, “My dad put him down for it (dancing), called him gay for doing it, but that would have the effect on him (Anton) of wanting to be the best.”

“He’s not Tony Bek who grew up on a council estate, he’s Anton Du Beke, the showman.”

Anton and Veronica both spoke touchingly of the moral and financial support their mother provided to help him become a dancer.

Kate revealed that Anton’s mother, Ascension, who lives in Spain, would have been in the audience, but was unable to travel due to ill health.