He’s danced in every series of Strictly Come Dancing to date, and it’s impossible to imagine the show without him.
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Yes, Anton du Beke is as big a part of Strictly as the sequins and samba, but every time the show has undergone a change, Anton’s name has been mentioned for a move.
At 51, Anton du Beke is Strictly’s oldest professional, and from rumours that he was tipped to present or even to judge, Anton’s name is always linked to leaving the dancefloor.
The most recent rumours saw Anton talked about as the man to take the judging seat left vacant when Len Goodman left the show after last series.
The job eventually went to Shirley Ballas, but Anton has revealed that he wasn’t ready to give up dancing to hand out the scores.
“Would I have liked it? Potentially,” he admits. “Would I have preferred it to dancing? I don’t know because it would have meant I wouldn’t have performed any more.”
“Is sitting there judging the show going to give me the same sort of feeling? The thought of not being able to get up there and dance in front of everyone, I really don’t know if I’m at that place yet.”
Anton has certainly been looking a long way from retirement in the series so far, stepping up a storm with his celebrity partner, Ruth Langsford.
Last week the pair danced the Samba to Love is in the Air by John Paul Young, but ended up on 7 points in a four- way tie at the bottom of the leaderboard.
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The public vote saw Simon Rimmer and Brian Conley as the celebrities in the dance- off, with Brian heading home.
It was tense stuff, but Anton says that he still loves being in the competition.
“Dancing in front of an audience is still what I love,” he says. “Ruth said after our samba last Saturday night, ‘We got a standing ovation’. As a performer, that’s what you live for.”
The pair will perform a Quickstep to the Bewitched theme tune in tonight’s Halloween- themed episode, and Anton says that, whatever happens, he wants to keep dancing.
“I do want to be a big part of Strictly. I love being involved and I want to be part of it for as long as it’s going.”