Anton Du Beke has alleged he was physically abused by his late father.
Anton Du Beke
The 54-year-old professional dancer has claimed his father, Antal, was a “heavy drinker” before his 2001 death, and alleged that as a child, Anton would “have the belt taken” to him by his “aggressive” dad.
He said: "He was the hard, eastern European type. Heavy drinker, heavy smoker. It was a different time and you'd have the belt taken to you and stuff like that. He'd just fly off the handle and he was always slightly aggressive anyway.
“There was always the moment when you came home and opened the front door thinking, ‘I hope he’s not home,’ and trying to avoid him, and not going into the room he was in because there was no benefit of being in the same room as him.”
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star cut all contact with his dad when his parents eventually divorced, and said he didn’t hear about his father until 2001, when he and his mother received a call from the coroner’s office to tell them Antal had died.
Speaking to The Times newspaper, Anton recalled: “I knew he was going to tell me my father had died and I didn't care. Or want to know. He was a stranger to me. That sounds a bit harsh and I don't mean to sound like that.”
Anton now has a family of his own with wife Hannah Summers and their three-year-old twins, George and Henrietta.
And the dancer recently said he was reluctant to quarantine in a hotel during the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ season, because he didn’t want to be away from his brood.
He said: "It will be lovely to be with my 'Strictly' family - they are terrific and I love them all - but without Hannah and the children will be difficult, especially after having all this time together.
"I'm hoping we're not going to have to do it but we will wait and see."
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