Strictly Come Dancing fans did a double-take tonight as judge Anton Du Beke unveiled a striking makeover. The 59 year old Strictly stalwart channelled his inner Blue Steel, transforming into Derek Zoolander, Adam Sandler’s iconic character from the hit film Zoolander.
However, the homage initially flew over some viewers’ heads, with several mistaking Anton for a former Strictly pro. “I need everyone to know that my mum thought Anton Du Beke was Brendan Cole. #scd #strictly,” one viewer quipped on Twitter as the show began earlier tonight.
Another shared on Instagram: “I thought Anton was Brendan Cole for a minute,” while a third exclaimed: “NOT ANTON AS ZOOLANDER.”
Brendan Cole graced the Strictly dance floor for the first 15 series until he revealed in January 2018 that the BBC had not renewed his contract. In the inaugural 2004 series, Brendan and his celebrity partner, newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky, triumphed, taking home the Glitterball trophy.
Sadly, Movie Week will be one star short, as DIY SOS’s Nick Knowles had to withdraw from the second live show of Strictly Come Dancing’s 20th anniversary series due to an injury. Nick, 62, and his dance partner Luba Mushtuk were set to perform a Charleston to “Rain On The Roof” from Paddington 2, reports the Mirror.
A recent update on Strictly’s Instagram page on Friday read: “Unfortunately, Nick Knowles sustained an injury during rehearsals and as a result, will not dance this weekend. As per the rules of the competition, Nick and Luba (Mushtuk) will receive a bye through to next week when he is hopefully able to dance again. Everyone at Strictly Come Dancing wishes Nick a speedy recovery.”
Fellow Strictly professionals shared their support, with Lauren Oakley commenting: “Get better soon.”
The BBC has yet to release specific information regarding the nature of Knowles’s injury from rehearsals. It had been disclosed earlier that the TV personality had hurt his arm and shoulder but had got the all-clear to perform previously on the show last weekend.
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On the 23rd of September, shortly after the series’ first live show, Nick revealed via video that he incurred an injury while changing a tyre. Appearing on the BBC Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two in a sling, he described the injury which occurred on the 22nd of September, on his way to a family gathering for his birthday, as “painful”.
Nick expressed in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, before his performance last weekend, that despite having had a “tough week” he was “very excited” to take to the stage and that his shoulder was “getting stronger every day”. Head judge Shirley Ballas applauded Nick and Luba’s performance of an American smooth to Blur’s Parklife, achieved with just 16 hours of rehearsal, as “absolutely amazing”.
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