After Sir Bruce Forsyth’s death in 2017, his ashes were interred beneath the stage of London Palladium, the theatre where the he made the most significant breakthrough in his career in showbusiness
Michael Moran and Danny Gutmann
16:09, 29 Jul 2025
Bruce and Wilnelia were married from 1983 until his death in 2017.(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Sir Bruce Forsyth’s widow was “shocked and saddened” by Anton Du Beke’s comments about her late husband’s final resting place. Following the TV legend’s passing in 2017, he was laid to rest beneath the stage of the London Palladium, the venue where he achieved his most pivotal career moment during seven decades in entertainment.
Whilst it served as a heartfelt gesture, Anton, who worked with Sir Bruce on Strictly Come Dancing, expressed his disapproval. Noting that crooner Des O’Connor’s ashes are also located within the renowned London venue, Anton remarked: “I know that Brucie would have been furious about this because he was never a double act.”
However, Brucie’s widow Wilnelia has responded, revealing she was “shocked and saddened” by the remarks from the Strictly professional-turned-judge.
In conversation with the Daily Mail, Lady Forsyth commented: “It’s a place that we thought would be appropriate. The whole family thought that it would be the best place for him to be – and we still feel that way.”
Anton is a self-confessed Brucie superfan(Image: Richard Heathcote, Getty Images)
A plaque on the theatre’s wall states: “Without question the UK’s greatest entertainer, he rests in peace within the sound of music, laughter and dancing… exactly where he would want to be.”
Anton has regularly expressed his tremendous respect for Sir Bruce. The pair first encountered each other when Anton served as a professional dancer on Strictly whilst Bruce presented the show.
He has characterised Sir Bruce as an extraordinary performer who demonstrated generosity, kindness, and humour. He has also mentioned that witnessing Bruce continue working into his eighties provided tremendous motivation as he neared his own 60th milestone.
After celebrating his 59th birthday earlier this month, Anton is clearly eager to follow in Sir Bruce’s footsteps. Having originally plied his trade as a ballroom dancer, he was one of the highest ranked in the world when he accepted a role on Strictly when it started in 2004. In 2021 he swapped the dance floor for the judging panel, where he has remained ever since.
Sir Bruce performing his famous ‘Thinker’ pose(Image: Samir Hussein, Redferns via Getty Images)
However, Anton, a self-proclaimed Bruce super fan, was mistaken about one detail. Despite his assertion that Bruce was never part of a double-act, the legendary entertainer once shared the Palladium stage with another variety legend, Norman Wisdom, in 1961.
Bruce and Norman took over an entire episode of ITV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium themselves when it was on the brink of cancellation due to industrial action.
Bruce’s fellow entertainer Des O’Connor is also interred at the theatre(Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/Getty Images)
No members of the actors’ union were allowed to appear on the live broadcast from the Palladium – effectively ruling out nearly every performer scheduled to appear.
However, neither Bruce nor Norman were restricted by the picket line, as they were instead members of the rival Variety Artistes’ Federation.
In a largely improvised performance, the duo sang, danced and joked their way through the entire show – which included a chaotic sketch about decorators attempting to hang wallpaper that went on to become a part of TV history. Bruce, whose TV career began before the start of World War II, first hosted Sunday Night At The London Palladium in 1958 and performed his one man show there for the last time in 2015.