The Strictly Come Dancing judge was heard talking about the BBC One dance contest which is now nearing an end
Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke(Image: BBC)
Anton Du Beke has seemingly suggested that he and his fellow Strictly Come Dancing judges ‘messed up’ following a shock exit from the competition.
Those who follow the BBC One dance contest were stunned to see Lewis Cope and his professional dance partner Katya Jones land in the dreaded dance-off for the first time in last Sunday’s (Decemeber 7) results show during the quarter-final stage.
The pair and their fellow four remaining couples, took to the ballroom floor with jam-packed routines, including extra dancers, to songs from the stage of musical films as week 11 also marked Strictly’s Musicals Week stage.
Despite finishing joint second on the leaderboard with their Salsa to Dance At The Gym from West Side Story, Lewis and Katya subsequently lost out on a place in the semi-final when judges chose to save West End star Amber Davies and professional Nikita Kuzmin.
Following his elimination, Lewis, who was drafted in to replace another celebrity after the 2025 series line-up was announced, told presenter Tess Daly of his Strictly journey: “It’s been more than I could have ever wished for. If someone would have said that I’d have done 11 weeks on the show at the beginning, I’d have been over the moon and snap their hand off.
“So, thank you to the full show, to everyone for having a space where people can be themselves, grow, learn, express themselves. It’s been incredible and a memory that I’ll have for the rest of my life, and [to Katya] I think it’s all down to you. You’ve literally given me absolutely everything I could wish for as a friend, as a teacher, and, yeah, I couldn’t imagine it with anybody else. So, thank you very much.”
Lewis and Katya’s exit from the BBC One dance contest came as a huge shock(Image: PA)
It’s now been revealed that dring a performance of his new UK tour, Christmas with Anton and Friends 2025 at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the 59-year-old judge gave viewers an insight into what it was like to say goodbye to the TV favourite.
According to the Express, he told the audience: “We messed it up on Saturday night, though, didn’t we? We really did, it was a tough dance-off, but you can’t moan if you don’t vote.”
The dad-of-two went on to share some of his fond memories of competing in the show, with the professional dancer once making it all the way through to the quarter-finals with politician Ann Widdecombe Anton recalled: “This week, we’ve they’ve got two dances to do, it won’t be easy for them. I remember I got to the quarter finals one year with Ann Widdecombe, this is true.
“I remember Claudia asked me, ‘What are your two dances going to be like?’ and I said, ‘Similar. We’ve been struggling with one dance a week, let alone two’. I asked for them to fill the stage with thick smoke so that they can’t see the feet, even if they could bring it up higher to sort of chin height, but I remember dancing with her on the night, I turned around, and she’d cleared off.”
Fans can book tickets to see Christmas with Anton du Beke via the musicals on tour website.