Anton Du Beke confesses he 'doesn't recognise half the celebrities on Strictly Come Dancing'

Strictly justice Anton Du Beke has admitted that helium nary longer knows fractional of the celebrated faces that measurement into the ballroom and insisted the celebs request to 'reflect the radical who watch' the show

Strictly Come Dancing's dancer-turned-judge Anton Du Beke has confessed that helium had nary thought who Love Island's Tasha Ghouri oregon vlogger Joe Sugg were erstwhile they archetypal waltzed onto the Strictly dancefloor. As a nonrecreational dancer connected the BBC show, Anton preformed with the likes of soprano Lesley Garrett, TV's Kate Garraway and EastEnders prima Emma Barton, but aft swapping for a spot connected the judge's panel, helium says helium present doesn't "know fractional the radical who travel on".

Anton, 58, has been portion of the amusement since it archetypal aired successful 2004, but failed to assistance the glitterball successful immoderate of those 18 series, contempt reaching the last twice. In a caller interview, helium reflected connected however the personage line-up has changed implicit the years, revealing: "I don’t cognize fractional the radical who travel connected Strictly Come Dancing. But they each crook retired to beryllium marvellous. For example, I didn’t cognize of Tasha Ghouri, but she was extraordinarily fabulous. I had nary thought who Joe Sugg was either. In the aged days of Strictly, we utilized to cognize everybody."

Speaking to The Times, the dada of 2 said helium could recognize the earthy improvement of the personage dancers, arsenic the amusement needs to bespeak the assemblage watching astatine home. "Strictly is not Love Island," helium added.

"There’s nary constituent seeing gorgeous 25-year-olds dancing fabulously. We privation the personage partners to bespeak the radical who ticker the show."

Liverpool-born comedian Chris McCausland, 47, is the existent custodian of the show's glitterball, aft winning the 2024 bid with pro dancer Dianne Buswell. He was the series' archetypal unsighted personage contestant, and helium said afterwards that his triumph was not conscionable "tokenism".

"What we request much of erstwhile it comes to inclusivity is [to] amusement what guys similar myself and many, galore different disabled radical person been doing - unthinkable worldly for years," helium said.

"Really radiance a airy connected that successful these amusement shows, conscionable connected mean people, it doesn't person to beryllium a celebrity. I deliberation there's a hunger for it nowadays to beryllium rather honest."

In his latest interview, Anton, who lives successful lives successful Buckinghamshire with his woman Hannah Summers, said the Strictly squad were conscious of producing thing large aft the bullying ungraded past year, which saw Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima some permission the show.

He described the latest bid arsenic "best it's ever been", adding: "With each that went connected successful the summer, you think, “We’ve been going a agelong clip now. Let’s person a look astatine ourselves and spot what’s going on, and spot if we request to bash it similar that."

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