Anton Du Beke breaks silence over reports he's 'retiring' from Strictly
He's been on the show since the first series!
He's a Strictly Come Dancing legend, appearing on every single series of the show since it first hit our TV screens in 2004, so there's no surprise fans of the popular dancing show were worried when reports suggested Anton Du Beke was about to 'retire'.
But don't panic! Anton appeared on today's (Monday 16th March) episode of This Morning, alongside fellow Strictly dancers Neil Jones and Gorka Márquez, where he laughed off reports to hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
When Phillip asked the 53-year-old if the reports were true, Anton said, "No! No! I’ve got twins, I’m never retiring, absolutely not.”
Of course, Anton made it into the final last year with EastEnders actress Emma Barton and now he thinks 2020 could be the year for him to eventually be crowned the winner of the show.
He added, "This year could be my year. Last year was the vintage year, best of all years, remarkable year. I got a ten. Strength from strength.”
Last week BBC bosses announced which professional dancers would be taking part in the 2020 series, with the likes of Oti Mabuse, Karen Hauer, AJ Pritchard and Aljaž Škorjanec all returning.
Check out all of the 2020 Strictly Come Dancing professionals below:
Kai Widdrington
Cameron Lombard
Nikita Kuzmin
Jowita Przystal
Amy Dowden
Dianne Buswell
Dianne was a professional on the Australian version of Strictly Come Dancing before she joined the UK cast in 2017. In 2023, she made it to the final with Bobby Brazier.
Giovanni Pernice
Italian Champion Giovanni Pernice is the longest-serving male professional on the current line-up of Strictly pros, having joined the show in 2015. He lifted the Glitterball with actress Rose Ayling-Ellis back in 2021 and was most recently paired with presenter Richie Anderson.
Gorka Marquez
Gorka joined the show in 2016 and has danced in three finals. In 2023 he was paired with Nikita Kanda.
Johannes Radebe
Karen Hauer
Katya Jones
Graziano Di Prima
Luba Mushtuk
Nadiya Bychkova
Nancy Xu
Neil Jones
Carlos Gu
Michelle Tsiakkas
Vito Coppola
Lauren Oakley
Meanwhile, although he's been a part of the show since it first aired in 2004, Anton has never actually won, being paired with celebs over the years including the likes of Ann Widdecombe, Lesley Joseph, Ruth Langsford and Susannah Constantine.
But in 2019, Anton made it all the way to the final with Emma Barton, only losing out to Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher and his partner Oti Mabuse.
Find out everything you need to know about Strictly Come Dancing 2020 right here.