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Anton Du Beke The most common comment made when he is recognized in public is how surprisingly youthful he looks.
“My all-time favorite comment is, ‘Oh, you look so much younger in real life!’ says the Strictly Come Dancing judge, who will turn 60 in July.
Although he jokes that he’s “a little sad” about the upcoming milestone – “only because I don’t know how it happened so quickly. In my mind I’m only 35. I turned 35, blinked twice and suddenly it says 60 on my passport. And I can’t understand how we got there.”
Du Beke, who sits on the jury of the Saturday night BBC One dance show Craig Revel Horwood, remove mabus And Shirley BallasAdding: “I don’t know what 60 feels like but I don’t feel 60.
“And sometimes I look in the mirror and say, ‘What happened to my face? My chops! They’re hanging down’.”
Du Beke, the father of eight-year-old twins with wife Hannah Summers, says fatherhood, as well as continuing to dance and sing on tour (Anton du Beke in the Musical Tour runs until mid-November) helps keep him active.
“I’m very lucky,” says the dancer and author – who recently published her latest novel, The Winter Ball.
“I’ve had what I call a ‘lucky body’ all my life. When I was competing in the past, a lot of people had to retire because of injuries – backs got worse, knees didn’t work like they should. I’ve never had any of those problems, I’ve been very lucky with my body. But I’ve always taken care of it.
“I’ve always been in shape, I’ve never been out of shape in my life. I’ve always eaten well, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I’m not a pizza or burger person.
“The big adjustment I’ve made over the last few years – and this knowledge, really, comes from information – is that we have to get rid of ultra-processed food. So I’ve cut all that out of my diet – that’s made a huge difference, too.”
Nicknamed ‘The King of Ballroom’, Du Beke rose to prominence in the world of dance with his partner Erin Boag (a former Strictly professional), winning numerous national and international titles. He joined the hit show as a professional dancer, pairing up with celebrity partners – including Lesley Garrett, Ann Widdecombe and Judy Murray – for the first series in 2004, before joining the judging panel in 2021.
“I hear people say things like, ‘I don’t want to make my mark [dancing]And I don’t mind being defined as a dancer because it has been my life – and still is my life. I started doing it when I was about 13 years old. I have dedicated myself to this. It’s something that I’ve embodied being a dancer, and it shapes you, because everything you do is geared towards becoming better. [it],
“Being a writer, for me, is really an extension of that.”
After publishing a non-fiction book on ballroom dancing in 2012, du Beke published her first novel, One Enchanted Evening, in 2018. But it was his first novel that began a series set in the fictional Buckingham Hotel in the 1930s, and now in the 1940s – the eighth in The Winter Ball saga.
“It’s a different medium to do the same thing, tell a story, connect with an audience. To me they are that.” [dancing and writing] Connect with the same thing,” explains Du Beke.
“When I’m on stage, singing, or doing whatever, one thing that’s really important to me is that they’re of the same quality. I just want people to say, ‘This is a great book, I didn’t know she danced.’
“I don’t want the audience to think I’m just writing a book, [saying] ‘Look at me, I’m a dancer, but I’ve written a book’ – forget the fact that I danced.
to begin LondonThe books follow the lives of the hotel’s staff and wealthy guests, dancers and high society people in the 1930s and 1940s, with a particular interest in the hotel’s distinctive Grand Ballroom.
The Winter Ball sees ‘King of the Ballroom’ Raymond De Guise rally dancers, set against the backdrop of the Second World War, for the season’s event. The De Guise welcome three American officers, with the knowledge that one of them is a traitor – it’s a tale of mystery, drama and heartbreak with a festive twist.
Du Beke says he is “very proud” of the books. “I think everyone is as invested in the characters as I am, which is really the most exciting part. That’s what I love about these novels – they’re character-driven.”
Although there is a continuity of characters and location, each book is also a standalone story. “It was very important to me in doing an ongoing saga,” he says, “that you can pick them up on any level and feel completely part of it.”
In this kind of continuity, of course, you “can’t keep everyone,” he said. “Book VIII, we’re now at 1,200 pages and 47 characters, so we have to kill people off, which was devastating to me, and then introduce new characters.”
The period of time is “of great interest” to du Beke. “I liked the idea of London at that time, but also the undercurrent of what was going on in Europe. Because although the war didn’t start for us until 1939, it had already started in Europe, [so] The restlessness of walking the streets of London, I find that time really fascinating.
“Everything about that era, I love the music of that time,” he says. “It was the beginning of jazz and swing. Things from the Thirties are almost 100 years old now, and still resonate with us.”
And dance also played a huge role. Lindy Hop was introduced in the 1930s, changing the landscape [of dance]Du Beke explains, it was “the forerunner of the jitterbug, which was the forerunner of the jive that we are now familiar with. It was an extraordinary form of dance. The Lindy Hop was this crazy, open-style dance where you list your partner and throw him around.
She says Du Beke’s background as a professional dancer for 16 years on Strictly has helped her in her role as a judge. “I have the advantage of doing this, as my USP, so I understand what’s going on maybe a little more [for the celebrities] But only through experience. So I don’t know if I have that kind of empathetic perspective.
“And people [celebrities] Care. I love that they care, it means everything to me, because I care,” he says. “I have felt exactly the same way many times over the years.”
Du Beke “always” feels emotional watching the dance on Saturday nights, he says. “That’s the way I am these days. I used to be made of granite. Now I’m a big old softie – maybe it’s the kids. I’ll turn good at the drop of a hat.”
Anton du Beke’s The Winter Ball is published by Orion Fiction, priced £20. Available October 23rd.