23 November 2023 , 16:55
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Anton du Beke may have successfully stepped up from Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer to a respected show judge - but he doesn’t want any of the other pros following in his well-heeled footsteps.
The 57-year-old dancer was one of the Strictly professionals from when the BBC show launched in 2004 until he stepped away from the ballroom floor in 2020. He was then upgraded to a judge for the 2021 season - and has been sitting pretty alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas ever since.
It is believed 58-year-old Craig is planning to waltz away from Strictly after the 2024 season - sparking speculation over who could take over the judges seat next. And while some current professionals have been tipped to take on the next empty seat, Anton himself has laughed off the suggestion that another professional could step up to being a judge.
Asked by Express.co.uk who he would choose from Strictly’s dancers to join him on the panel, he brutally responded by saying: “None of them.” The publication then asked him if he thinks he is the only dancer that could make the transition to judge, and he replied: “I’ll leave that for other people to decide.”
Anton Du Beke has made a somewhat scathing comment about his Strictly dancer co-stars (Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Good Housekeeping Live)
Craig Revel Horwood is tipped to quit Strictly at the end of 2024 (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)Anton is not the only pro who wants to be a long-term judge, however, as 41-year-old Karen Hauer has also expressed a desire to become a judge. She told the Radio Times: “Right now, I’m really happy with being a professional on Strictly, and to continue spreading that love of dance. As clichéd as it sounds, it can change your life, and some people still have no idea.
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“But also, I’d love to be a judge on Strictly. I love to teach and I love to guide people. I think that’s my calling, my next step.”
Speculation has been rife over who will replace Craig on the judging panel ever since he hinted he will quit the show after next year's season. He warned Best magazine in September that he plans to “hang up my shoes and enjoy life” once he is 60, adding: “I’m working hard while I can, especially as I love what I do. It keeps me on my toes, darlings!
“I'm now the same age as the late, great Len Goodman was when he first started - that's scary, isn't it?! The reason I look forward to it every year is because the cast changes. I think that's what's fun about it, it doesn't age. And this year's line-up is fab-u-lous!"
Former Strictly pro-Joanne Clifton has tipped Giovanni Pernice to take over Craig’s judging seat once he goes - thinking he will add flare to the panel. She told Betway: Many of us would like to have a go at judging. I completely get why Anton wanted to. I can see Giovanni Pernice going for it in a couple of years' time. He could definitely be a type of Bruno Tonioli on the panel as he and Anton have their show together. He has a great personality."
While a more left-field choice could be Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo - who was given odds of 3/1 by Ladbrokes as a possible replacement for Craig. This would mean she would return to the judging panel on a long-term basis having previously shown up on the show. The 36-year-old actress already filled in for Craig in 2021 when he was forced to miss a weekend after teasing positive for Covid. She then repeated the favour when Motsi Mabuse was forced to step away after testing positive for COVID-19 too.