Anton Du Beke tells Chris Evans his NTA Award for judging Strictly is 'the best thing that’s ever happened' to him

Virgin Radio

21 Oct 2022, 10:26

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has been filling up the trophy cabinet since his last visit to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky last week (Thursday 13th October). 

On the same day as his trip to the Top of the Tower, the pro dancer picked up the Talent Show Judge prize at the National Television Awards 2022, beating the likes of David Walliams, Mo Gilligan and RuPaul. 

Anton returned to the show once again this morning (21st October) to chat all about his big win, which he called “the best thing that’s ever happened” to him (“just don’t tell my wife and children!”) 

On landing the coveted accolade, Anton told Chris: “It was wonderful. Somebody said to me, ‘oh, you've been nominated for an NTA best judge award,’ and I thought ‘fantastic!’ 

“I was overwhelmed to be on the shortlist with the other judges and Mo and RauPaul and David. Then to win on the evening was just,...it's the best thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life. Please don't tell my wife and children! But I'm just so grateful to everybody who voted.”

“I've been dancing for about 400 years. And then they give me an award for not dancing!” Anton joked. 

It turns out that fellow nominee Walliams, who judges on Britain's Got Talent, was the one to suggest Anton hang up his dancing shoes on Strictly to become a judge.

He added: “He did! Years ago actually, he did. He said, ‘you should judge…it's fun.’ He's so lovely. He sent me a message as well, which was lovely. He sent me a message saying congratulations. He's an absolute beauty David, I love David.”

Speaking of being on the Strictly panel, Anton admitted judging this year’s group of celebs is getting harder due to the impressive efforts made so far. 

“If last week is anything to go by, tomorrow is going to be epic,” the telly star added. “We use these expressions that ‘everyone's raised the game’, all that sort of stuff. Genuinely, I didn't think when we started this series that it was going to be that, but last week, just made me go ‘this is going to be the best run of all time’.

“I think the dance off every week is going to be…we're going to have the situation that we did last week where you're going to get somebody quite high up the leader board. And every week it's going to be awful…but it's going to be fascinating. So well done to everybody for voting on the show. Keep going because it's just making the show brilliant!”

Speaking very briefly on the current “Strictly Mole” that is leaking the post-show results ahead of the broadcast on Sunday, Anton simply said: “People could go and just walk out the door and just tell the world, but no. That's brilliant that we're all in it together.

“We know it's prerecorded on a Sunday evening. No one says it's not. It's just such a brilliant show. Everybody feels so warm about the show. People who go, love to go. There's not many people who get a chance to go into the studio because it is a few hundred seats, but tens of millions of people who watch the show would love to go. So it is a real opportunity.”

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday night at 6:40pm on BBC One. 

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.