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Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke has spoken openly about the deeply personal reasons behind changing his name, revealing it was never about reinvention for fame but about drawing a firm line under a painful past.

The ballroom star, who has become one of the most recognisable faces on British television, explained that the decision was part of a wider determination to start his life again and fully commit to the career he wanted.

Anton, now 59, has been synonymous with Strictly Come Dancing since the show’s very first series in 2004. As one of the original professional dancers, he quickly became a fan favourite thanks to his traditional ballroom style, humour and unmistakable showmanship.

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After nearly two decades on the dancefloor, he later stepped into a judging role, cementing his place as one of Strictly’s longest-serving and most beloved figures.

However, Anton Du Beke is not the name he was born with. During a conversation on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live with broadcaster Adrian Chiles, the subject of his name change was raised directly.

Adrian said: “Back then, you were Tony Beck and you changed your name. There needs to be some study done on what it does to people changing their names, being one person, and then giving yourself a different name/ I mean, what's wrong with Tony Beck?

"I mean, it's not particularly exotic, but it's not mundane either. Do you not think you could have been the success you have been if you'd just stuck with Tony Beck?”

Anton was clear that the decision had nothing to do with believing a different name would bring success. Instead, he explained that it was rooted in a desire for a fresh start and an all-consuming commitment to his craft.

He replied: “Well, no, I mean, I think those two things don’t correlate. I wanted to start again in my life, and so I started with me. One thing doesn’t drive the other thing. For me, it was all about being successful in what I was doing. I decided I wanted to do this, and so that’s what I did, and everything I did was geared towards being good at this.

“And also that thing of coming to it late — I felt like I couldn’t step back at all. Things like going on holiday or any of that sort of stuff were an anathema to me, because that meant I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t practising, rehearsing, training, competing, taking lessons, doing whatever it was I needed to do to make me better at this.

“If I wasn’t doing it, somebody else would be somewhere in the world, and we’d come together in a competition and they’d beat me. So I had that sort of drive.”

The deeper reasons behind Anton’s need to start again were explored further during a previous appearance on ITV’s Life Stories with Kate Garraway. The dancer spoke about his troubled relationship with his Hungarian father, Antal, revealing he was an alcoholic who hated that his son wanted to dance. Anton went on to claim that one night his father attacked him so violently that he spent three days in hospital after being stabbed.

That traumatic incident became a pivotal moment, prompting Anton to cut ties with his father and rebuild his life entirely. As part of that process, he decided to make a symbolic but significant change — leaving behind Tony Beke, “who grew up on a council estate,” and stepping forward as “Anton Du Beke, The Show Man.”

Reflecting on that decision, Anton said: “I wanted a new start and a new beginning and I wanted to leave what went before, behind, and then move on with the rest of my life, I just wanted to be me.”