Anton Du Beke has candidly spoken about how becoming a father at 50 profoundly changed his life. The Strictly Come Dancing legend, now aged 58, is the proud dad to seven-year-old twins George and Henrietta with his partner Hannah Summers.
But the family’s path to settling in Buckinghamshire was anything but straightforward. Anton revealed that Hannah has long been plagued by a severe health issue, which raised concerns about her fertility prospects.
In an intimate conversation on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, Anton opened up about Hannah’s struggle with endometriosis – a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places.
This not only threatens fertility but may also trigger various other distressing symptoms, including severe period pain and heavy bleeding. “I knew I wanted to be with her, I saw her with her nephews,” Anton said, according to Birmingham Live.
“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’.”
Hannah and Anton exchanged vows in 2017 after a romance that blossomed over six years, with Hannah remarkably becoming pregnant just three months into IVF treatment. The Strictly Come Dancing star shared insights into his profound bond with Hannah during a segment on Channel 4’s ‘Steph’s Packed Lunch’, disclosing: “I knew almost immediately that I loved her. She also loved me immediately, although I was holding a bottle of wine!”
If you’re worried you might have endometriosis, the NHS asserts that it’s important to visit a GP. This is especially the case if your symptoms impact your day-to-day life.
Below, is a summary of the NHS’ list of endometriosis symptoms:
- Intense period pain that prevents you from doing ‘normal’ day-to-day tasks and activities
- Heavy periods that require toy to change pads or tampons every one to two hours
- Pain when going to the toilet
- Pain during or after sex
- Pain in your lower stomach or back
- Extreme fatigue
- Facing difficulties getting pregnant
- Persistent low moods or anxiety