Anton Du Beke has opened up about a poignant moment after his wife Hannah Summers gave birth following their arduous journey to become parents.
The 58 year old Strictly Come Dancing star and his marketing executive wife were overjoyed to welcome twins George and Henrietta in 2017 through IVF, after revealing that Hannah’s endometriosis made natural conception a challenge.
Anton exposed the emotional toll the IVF injections took on Hannah, who was left with bruises from the daily regimen, admitting it made him feel “so inadequate”.
The tough times led to a joyful outcome when their twins arrived. During a candid chat with Gyles Brandreth on the Rosebud podcast, Anton remembered feeling overwhelmed when he was first handed his baby: “I remember being in the room, literally chatting away, and everyone’s going off and doing their bit and then suddenly they handed me this baby, this newly-born baby. They literally handed it to me and I put it in my shirt, I had the scrubs on.”
He humorously added, explaining his initial panic: “I had this brand new baby; it’s astonishing really. They then sort of cleared off to carry on what they’re doing and I’m like, ‘I think I need a grown up to come and help me with this, don’t leave it with me! I don’t know what I’m doing’.”
Anton and Hannah tied the knot at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey in 2017, just before their twins’ arrival. On Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy mum Happy Baby podcast, Anton shared the couple’s fears of not being able to have children prior to their successful IVF treatment, reports Birmingham Live.
The professional dancer confessed his bewilderment at life’s challenges after witnessing Hannah’s interaction with her nephews, leading to a heartfelt revelation about their IVF struggles. He shared: “I knew I wanted to be with her, I saw her with her nephews. She’s so kind and so caring, I just couldn’t understand the universe.
“And whoever is upstairs, if anyone’s upstairs, looking down and going, ‘you are the most perfect person to have children, but I’m not going to let you have any children because I’m going to give you this’.
“And I’m going to say ‘you’re going to have this endometriosis, and you’re going to suffer with this all of your life, chronically, and I’m not going to let you have any children.”
Anton, who had never heard of endometriosis before meeting Hannah, now advocates for more government investment in women’s health.
Rising to fame as a ballroom dancer and competing in world championships, Anton joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 alongside Erin Boag, initially expecting it to be a one-series stint. Yet, he has become a mainstay on the show, participating in every series first as a professional dancer and now as a judge, while also featuring on other TV programmes like BBC’s Hole in the Wall.