Anton Du Beke was hospitalised after his father attacked him (Picture: ITV)
Anton Du Beke has sent a powerful message to child abuse victims after he spoke out for the first time about being stabbed by his father.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 57, revealed he spent three days in hospital after being attacked by his dad as a child in the stomach and the leg on Boxing Day on Wednesday’s episode of Kate Garraway’s Life Stories.
Viewers of the ITV programme flooded X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their admiration for the pro dancer’s bravery, with many branding him a ‘national treasure.’
On Thursday, Anton responded to fans on Instagram and thanked them for the outpouring support and ‘lovely’ messages.
Alongside a picture of himself and the Good Morning Britain presenter, 56, Anton wrote: ‘My loves, A heartfelt thank you for the lovely messages I’ve received from you all.
‘I’d also like to thank Kate Garraway for being so kind in the Life Stories interview.
‘For those of you who have seen it, you’ll know that I talked about some personal childhood experiences during the show.
‘If this has affected you, please remember that you’re not alone and there are people you can talk to.’
The professional dancer also revealed he had been working with children’s charity Childline for some years as he shared its contact details and those for the NSPCC.
Anton spoke about the incident for the first time on Life Stories(Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
He praised the work the charities do, describing it as crucial in keeping children safe and supporting young people and families.’
Anton had told Kate the revelation about his father would come as a shock to his friends and family, who had not previously known about the attack.
The author explained that his father Antal ‘took a turn’ against him after he discovered a flair for dancing as alcoholism gripped him.
Anton revealed he was working with Childline (Picture: ITV)
Recalling the incident, he continued: ‘I got stabbed in the leg and in the stomach because of a fight on Boxing Day and it was an idiotic situation.
‘I remember walking out of the house to walk up to the hospital holding my leg and a police car drove past and I waved them down and I said “he’s in there with a knife.”
‘Anyway, they carted him off and I ended up in hospital for three or four days. My only concern was getting back into the studio and dancing and the embarrassment of it.’
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Anton said he told people he had ‘pulled a hamstring’ when asked about his leg injury because he was embarrassed.
Kate later told the audience Antal was cleared in court of wounding his son and when he died, Anton did not attend his funeral.
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Du Beke was the longest-serving professional dancer on Strictly, having been a fixture on the BBC One series since it began until he swapped the dance floor for the judging panel to take over from departing judge Bruno Tonioli permanently in 2021.
Kate Garraway’s Life Stories is available to stream on ITVX.
Need support? Contact Childline or Barnardo’s
For those affected by this storyline, contact Childline on 0800 11 11 or visit Barnardo’s for support and advice www.barnardos.org.uk
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Fans previously hailed Anton a ‘national treasure.’