Inside Anton Du Beke’s devastation over ‘dream’ job as he puts on ‘brave face’ – and the real reason he was overlooked

With his trademark beaming smile and exuberant, infectious energy, Anton Du Beke is preparing to kick off his 22nd year on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night. But behind the glitz and glamour of the BBC One juggernaut, the show judge is putting on a brave face after missing out on his dream job. The Strictly icon was “devastated” to miss out on his dream role Credit: Getty Anton’s close association with the controversial former Strictly star Giovanni Pernice severely hampered his chances of landing a presenting role Credit: Getty Speaking to The Sun, insiders have revealed how they believe Anton’s close association with controversial former Strictly star Giovanni Pernice severely hampered his chances of landing one of the show’s new presenting roles. They also claimed some of his previous comments have also “come back to haunt him”, and told just how devastated he was to miss out on following in his hero Sir Bruce Forsyth‘s fancy footsteps. Anton has been with Strictly since it began in 2004 – initially as a professional dancer, before landing a judging role in 2021. The star, 60, was among the favourites to replace former Strictly hosts Tess Daly, 57, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, when the pair made a shock announcement they were departing the show last year. However bosses stunned fans by appointing ex-Big Brother host Emma Willis, 50, Strictly pro Johannes Radebe, 39, and comedian Josh Widdicombe, 43, as the new presenting trio instead. In doing so, producers have denied Anton the opportunity to make Strictly history by becoming the first-ever star to be a dancer, judge and presenter, and his dream to follow Bruce – who co-hosted Strictly with Tess from 2004 to 2013 – seems to be slipping further out of his grasp. A source told us: “Anton is a huge part of the Strictly furniture and he was desperate to be one of the new hosts. He told plenty of people. “He has made no secret of the fact that the late, great Bruce was his idol, so much so it was one of the main reasons he wanted to join Strictly in the first place. “With Bruce at the helm, Anton knew the show would be a first-class hit, and his instincts were spot on. Never in his wildest dreams could he have predicted how close he and Bruce would become. He saw him as a mentor and a father figure. “This has made the pain of cruelly missing out on hosting Strictly even greater for Anton. “He’s achieved many dreams in his life, but this was one of the big ones he has left. He was devastated to miss out.” Tess and Claudia’s departures came after a controversial couple of years for Strictly, which was blighted by the public falling out between pro dancer Giovanni Pernice and his celebrity dance partner Amanda Abbington. Following their partnership in the 2023 series, the Sherlock star accused Gio of bullying and harassment. He was probed over 16 allegations in total, with the broadcaster clearing him on 10 counts, but upholding six of the complaints, resulting in Amanda receiving an apology and payout from the BBC. Some stars stood by him, including Anton, who Gio has since praised as a “true friend” and said they speak to each other “every day”. However, some believe their friendship may have counted against Anton when it came to his Strictly dream. The pair had grown close and teamed up to make a travel show for the BBC Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily and a follow-up Adventures in Spain. A source added: “Anton has largely done and said the right things away from Strictly, but his close association with controversial pro dancer Giovanni Pernice may have harmed his chances of landing one of the presenting gigs. “The hosts spend a lot of time chatting to the celebrity contestants, and are very much seen as people the stars can receive sympathy from when the judges’ feedback is a bit too much.” Last year, Anton joked he doesn’t know “half the people” who take part in Strictly, admitting he used to know “everybody” in the “old days” of the show. Strictly used to have an unofficial ban on reality TV stars, but this year’s series will feature ex-Love Island stars Dani Dyer and Cash Mercer, and YouTuber John Nellis. A source added: “Anton is known for his cheeky chappy persona, and it was a running joke on the show that he was paired with lower-scoring, less-coordinated celebrity contestants. “He isn’t too au fait with the reality stars and content creators, but presenters need to be all-rounders when it comes to the celebs. His comments have come back to haunt him.” Following their partnership in the 2023 series, Amanda Abbington accused Gio of bullying and harassment Credit: PA Anton and Gio were pals and starred in two BBC travel shows together Credit: BBC Anton isn’t without his Strictly controversy either. In 2009, there were strong calls for him to be axed as a pro dancer after he called his then-dance partner, Footballers’ Wives actress Laila Rouass, a racist term during training for the show, after she had undergone a spray tan. He later apologised and said in a statement: “I must say immediately and categorically that I am not a racist and that I do not use racist language.” Anton admitted he had made the comment, but said there was “no racist intent whatsoever”, adding: “I apologise unreservedly for any offence my actions might have caused.” The star’s apologies were enough for him to keep his job, and the controversy blew over. Anton’s career has gone from strength to strength since, and he hinted in December that becoming the new Strictly host could be a “next step” for him – and he was widely supported. Several stars backed him to land the job, including ex-Strictly pros Brendan Cole, Ian Waite, and Erin Boag, who said he would be a “fantastic” appointment. During the recruitment process to find new Strictly hosts, several presenters were part of a top-secret chemistry test, including Bradley Walsh, Alex Jones, Alan Carr, Rylan Clark, Angela Scanlon, Amanda Holden and Zoe Ball – but there was no place for Anton. In January, he let slip on Virgin Radio that whoever landed the coveted roles were likely to have Strictly connections. While Emma didn’t, Anton was right about Josh – who was a contestant in the 2024 Christmas Special – and Johannes, but the pair’s appointments still came as a huge surprise. The source added: “Anton was hoping his previous presenting experience on Hole in the Wall and This Morning, and his vast Strictly experience and knowledge, would have been enough for him to land one of the jobs. Anton was looking to follow in the footsteps of Bruce Forsyth – who co-hosted Strictly with Tess, pictured, from 2004 to 2013 Credit: PA:Press Association The judge lost out on the role to Emma Willis, 50, Strictly pro Johannes Radebe, 39, and comedian Josh Widdicombe, 43 Credit: PA “He cannot compete with Emma’s CV, but he fancied his chances over Josh and Johannes. “Anton was among the favourites with the bookmakers, who don’t get much wrong, but he wasn’t ever a serious contender. Some of his close pals were stunned to discover he wasn’t part of the chemistry test.” Anton was also kept in the dark about the identities of the three presenters. He only found out who the trio were after the official announcement, when the news was broken to him by TV veteran Gaby Roslin. While being interviewed by Gaby on Morning Live earlier this month he told her: “You knew before I did!” She replied: “That’s meant to be a secret.” It’s certainly no secret Anton wants the Strictly hosting job one day, but the ever-professional star has been putting on a brave face ahead of Saturday’s launch show. He described the new hosts as “wonderful” and admitted he loves Strictly as much now as he did when he first started in 2004, adding: “It’s a huge honour to be on Strictly Come Dancing. I’ll never forget that.”