Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke didn’t hold back during his appearance on This Morning on Wednesday, taking a playful jab at past contestants of the glittering dance show.
Chatting about his book series, the conversation quickly turned to Strictly’s ongoing 2024 series, which just debuted with its first live show.
This Morning presenter Cat Deeley was excited as she reflected on the series launch, saying: “Got to talk about it – the start of the show was just phenomenal, wasn’t it?” to which Anton, 58, responded with enthusiasm: “It was so good! There’s so many wonderful characters on the show and the dancing was really quite good.”
Co-host Ben Shephard couldn’t resist teasing Anton, saying: “Really quite good?” Anton then cheekily remarked about prior competitors: “No, because it’s week one, normally they’re awful! I’ve danced with some who couldn’t even remember their own names, let alone the steps!”
Anton went on to add: “There was some fantastic dancing at the weekend, this weekend is going to be really interesting. This is the first weekend it gets really serious and someone goes home, it’s week two, first elimination!”
In the meantime, the renowned dance contest has already seen its share of drama, as Nick Knowles, contestant and star of DIY SOS, 62, shared his struggles with a painful injury incurred while changing a car tyre, reports the Express.
On his journey to rehearsals with professional partner Luba Mushtuk, he shared on Instagram: “It’s been an interesting few days, that’s for sure. I’ve seen a load of people, I’ve got a load of people trying to make everything work for me.”
Nick continued: “I’m feeling good, arm’s in a sling still to make sure that it’s rested when I’m not using it. But today I’m going to try and dance and see what my capabilities are. Luba is trying to prepare a dance that will work for me.”
He expressed his anticipation about the possibility of dancing on Saturday, saying: “It’s a big day for me. I’m really really hoping that we find out that I can dance on Saturday. I’d really like to stay part of the competition, so keep your fingers crossed for me.”
During his appearance on the Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two on Monday night, Nick revealed he had sustained an injury, as evidenced by the sling he wore during the interview. He recounted the ‘painful’ incident that occurred while he was on his way to a family birthday celebration.
He went on to say of the event: “I went to get my 10-year-old son and bring him back to the party but we broke down on the motorway with a flat tyre, and it was raining and there were big lorries going past, so I tried to do it quickly and change the tyre quickly. As I took the tyre off, I basically damaged my bicep and damaged my arm.”
Nick also updated his followers about his injury on Instagram on Monday, mentioning his trip to Harley Street in London “to get a scan done and to get some top medical advice”.
This Morning continues on weekdays at 10am on both ITV and ITVX.