Anton Du Beke has emotionally revealed that as a child on Boxing Day, he was stabbed in the stomach and leg by his father, which left him in hospital for three days.
The 57-year-old Strictly Come Dancing judge said the shocking incident happened while he was living in the family home on a council estate in Sevenoaks, Kent.
The professional dancer added that the revelations are likely to 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.
Born to a Spanish mother and Hungarian father, Du Beke discovered his talent for dancing after picking up his sister Veronica from a local studio in the city.
Although his mother encouraged his new hobby, his father, Antal, “turned away from Du Beke” when alcoholism took hold of him and he became violent at home.
Du Beke spoke Kate Garraway’s life stories in an episode airing tonight at 9pm on ITV1 – and a preview clip was played today on Good Morning Britain.
Anton Du Beke appears on Kate Garraway’s Life Stories in an episode airing tonight on ITV1
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke spoke about Kate Garraway’s Life Stories on ITV1
Du Beke has voiced Kate Garraway’s Life Stories which will air tonight on ITV1
In it, Garraway asks him, “Was the violence against you?” Du Beke replies: ‘I, 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…”
Garraway said, “Did you do that?” Du Beke replied, “Yes.” Garraway then asked, “Why, what happened?” Du Beke said: ‘I am, I have been stabbed. I’ve never said this out loud before.’
After the clip played, Garraway said at the GMB studio, “It was very, very, seriously… physically, medically and obviously emotionally devastating.”
She added, “He’d go on to say how it didn’t work (hold him back) and he’d go on with the triumphs he’s had and the other struggles he’s had along the way.”
‘And that’s the point, isn’t it? That’s the lesson you want young people and other people who may be leading violent, difficult, distressing lives to look at and think ‘well we can move forward and not let it define us’.
In other quotes given to the media ahead of tonight’s broadcast — but not yet revealed in a video — Du Beke told Garraway, “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.”
Du Beke said he was confident his family and friends knew nothing about the attack because he never saw any benefit in speaking out about his ordeal. I 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.
Born to a Spanish mother and a Hungarian father, Anton Du Beke discovered a flair for dancing
Anton Du Beke pictured as a baby with his Spanish mother Ascensión ‘Conchita’ Lema
“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.”
Du Beke said he told people he had “stretched a hamstring” when asked about his leg injury because he was embarrassed.
He told host Garraway, “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.”
Garraway said Du Beke’s father was acquitted by the court of injuring his son and that when Du Beke died, he did not attend his funeral.
“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.”
Du Beke also said that his motivation to achieve success did not come from his father.
Du Beke is now married to wife Hannah with whom he shares six-year-old twins George and Henrietta
Anton du Beke with Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood on Strictly
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.”
TV presenter Garraway, who took over from Piers Morgan as Life Stories presenter this year, said she knew Du Beke is “bigger than life” but is also a “very private” man after spending her time dancing with him on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007.
She said: “He has a philosophy about his relationship with his fans that he is there to bring joy to their lives and he doesn’t want to share his own problems.
“But with me he does, and it showed a huge leap of faith on his part, because a lot of the things we talked about he hadn’t even really discussed, even with his immediate family, and I felt so honored to be able to help him share it.’
Actor Omid Djalili and Ruby Wax also spoke with Garraway for this series of Life Stories.
Kate Garraway’s Life Stories airs tonight (Wednesday) at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX