Anton Du Beke has said Bruce Forsyth is his "hero".
The 'Strictly Come Dancing' professional paid homage to the show's former host - who quit his role earlier this year - and admits working with Bruce was one of the reasons he joined the BBC ballroom dancing competition in 2004.
Appearing on ITV's 'Lorraine', Anton said: "I'm going to miss him enormously because he has always been my hero, even pre-'Strictly Come Dancing' ... so when the idea of 'Strictly' came around and Bruce was going to be the host, well, for me, this is the greatest thing in the world!
"I absolutely love him and I'm thrilled to be able to say that we've become close friends. I say that from my perspective, he might see it as another story of course!"
The dancer has become such good friends with Bruce, 86, the TV legend has agreed to be part of Anton's new stage show, which is a tribute to the great American songbook.
Anton added: "I mentioned it to Brucie a couple of weeks ago, he called me a few days ago and said 'I think I'm going to come along and do a couple of songs.' So Brucie is coming along and he's going to do a couple of numbers, so there you are!"
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