is one of most loved stars after joining the popular show during its inception back in 2004. However, a close friend has claimed that the 58-year-old will not step down any time soon after devoting two decades of his life to the programme.
His dance partner, Erin Boag, has claimed that Anton would only quit if the broadcaster were to “fire” him. The dancer, 49, previously appeared on the celebrity reality show for 10 seasons.
She married businessman Peter O’Dowd in 2009 and gave birth to their son Ewan in 2014. Despite stepping away from the show’s on-screen commitments, she still continues her work as a professional ballroom dancer.
Erin has been Anton’s dance partner for nearly three decades and to this day. The mother-of-one recently claimed that he “never” had “plans to leave Strictly as a pro”.
The New Zealand-born star shared to : “He was never going to leave as a professional dancer. It was very much the, ‘you’re going to have to fire me’, quite frankly.” Before adding that many backed him to become a judge.
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Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke in exit bombshell as star says ‘people won’t watch’ (Image: BBC)
Erin felt it was the correct next step in his career after he started out in the business at just 14 years old and has since gone on to earn countless titles.
She added: “I think everyone was just waiting for him to get a different position, because he deserved it, for sure.
“He’s very professional, he’s great at talking, and he’s just that, I don’t think you could fire him, because I think people would turn off.”
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The mother-of-one went on to share: “That sounds really horrible, but I think they would because he’s such a great character on the show.”
Both Anton and Erin are said to be extremely close after sharing the dance floor for more than two decades.
The duo are a well-regarded ballroom dancing couple, having both met in 1997. They are known for their charm, wit, and ballroom magic
Anton du Beke joined Strictly back in 2004 (Image: BBC)
This came after the to following his dance routine.
Anton said about his tango: “I want you to listen to this, I want you to concentrate. I want you to evolve yourself into the dance, it’s about the dance.
“I, at the moment, don’t want to know about you, at the moment. I will do later, right now I want you to be in the dance and when you do that, you get this because it’s intense, it’s together, you’re in beautiful harmony,” he added.
Before continuing: “The music is part of the whole production as well and it’s a complete bit. I want you to focus on that because moving forward, you can be a real powerhouse in this competition.”