Anton Du Beke broke his silence on Saturday after his “1970s-style behaviour” towards his former Strictly dance partner Laila Rouass “raised concerns”.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 58, reduced contestant Laila to tears during the 2009 series when he jokingly told her she “looked like a sissy” after her spray tan.
As the latest star to be embroiled in a misconduct scandal, Anton ignored the historic feud which resurfaced by sharing a series of posts on Instagram on his birthday.
Anton apologized to Laila at the time, admitting he felt “stupid” and “embarrassed” for his comments to the actress, who is of Indian and Moroccan descent, and the duo made amends a few weeks later.
His wife Hannah shared an emotional message for Anton along with photos of their six-year-old twins, George and Henrietta.
Anton Du Beke, 58, broke his silence on Saturday after his “1970s-style behaviour” towards his former Strictly dance partner Laila Rouass “raised concerns”
The Strictly Come Dancing judge reduced contestant Laila (pictured) to tears during the 2009 series when he jokingly told her she “looked like an idiot” after her spray tan.
She wrote: ‘Happy Birthday dear Anton Du Beke George, Ra Ra and I couldn’t love you more and can’t wait to celebrate when we’re all together. We’ll be playing for a serenade soon… Get ready for Grandma! Happy Birthday my darling. Love you. ‘
Reposting her message, she wrote: “What a perfect message to start my birthday morning. Thank you @hannah_du_beke. Can’t wait to celebrate with you all on Monday. Love you all so much.”
This week, professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, 30, apologised for punching and kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals after he was booted from the show.
It came after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended. while a BBC An investigation is underway into Claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington50 years old, and two other famous ex-couples.
Anton sparked outrage when it was revealed he had called Laila a “b***h” when she attended rehearsals wearing fake tan.
A source said Sun:Anton has a very 70s attitude and can be abrasive.
‘The lines between what is acceptable and what is not are becoming increasingly blurred, and of course, some people have deemed it okay to work with him.
“But there were murmurs of discontent when I was a dancer. Yet the BBC promoted it. It’s all quite strange.”
As the latest star to be embroiled in the misconduct scandal, Anton downplayed the historic feud that resurfaced by sharing a sweet birthday message from his wife Hannah.
Anton apologized to Laila at the time, admitting he felt “stupid” and “embarrassed” for his comments to the actress, who is of Indian and Moroccan descent, and the duo made amends a few weeks later.
Anton sparked outrage when it was revealed he had called Laila a “b***h” when she attended rehearsals wearing fake tan (they are pictured together in the series)
Amid the furore over the 2009 comment, it was also revealed that Anton had also asked Laila if she was a terrorist in a joke about her North African heritage.
When contacted by MailOnline, a BBC spokesperson said: “We will not comment on individual people or engage in speculation.
“However, as we have said previously, we will always listen if people want to report something to us or raise it directly with us and we have appropriate procedures and processes in place to manage this.”
MailOnline has contacted Anton Du Beke’s representative for comment at the time.
Amid the furore over the 2009 comment, it was also revealed that Anton had also asked Laila if she was a terrorist in a joke about her North African heritage.
Speaking to Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two after the incident came to light, Laila said: ‘We’re getting through this together. It’s been a tough week for both of us… But we just want to move on.
“This happened weeks ago and we get along very well.”
Anton added: ‘I’d like to reiterate my apologies from last weekend to Laila, everyone on the show and everyone who watches the show because I feel embarrassed, I feel stupid too.’
He continued: ‘It was a stupid thing to do and a stupid thing to say and now people are talking about it when they should be talking about the show and how great it is.
This week, professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, 30, apologised for punching and kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals after he was booted from the show.
This comes just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended pending a BBC investigation into allegations of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50 (pictured).
As I say, I’m completely mortified by it, and Laila has been incredibly wonderful.
Bruce Forsyth was also forced to backtrack on a formal statement to the BBC after saying the nation should have a “sense of humour” about the controversy.
Speaking to radio station TalkSport, he said: “We used to take this with humour. 25, 30, 40 years ago, there was always some humour in the whole thing.”
“There was a time when Americans called us ‘limeys,’ which doesn’t sound very nice, but we laughed about it. Everyone has a nickname.”
But hours later the BBC issued a statement from Bruce.
“What Anton said to Laila was wrong and he has unreservedly apologised for it. I also do not in any way excuse or condone the use of that language,” she said.
‘To be absolutely clear, the use of racially offensive language is never funny or acceptable.
‘However, there is an important difference between this and racist comments that have malicious intent and, while I accept that we live in a world of extraordinary political correctness, we must keep things in perspective.’
Last month it was reported that Anton “strongly supports” Giovanni after he quit Strictly Come Dancing amid the BBC’s “serious misconduct” investigation.
“These are my personal views and not necessarily those of the BBC,” the statement added.
Last month it was reported that Anton was “strongly supporting” Giovanni after he quit Strictly Come Dancing amid the BBC’s “serious misconduct” investigation.
The couple will appear together in a live show called Giovanni and Anton Together: The Live Tour, which will begin in June and run until the end of July.
Giovanni posted a video of the pair on his Instagram Stories and the accompanying promotional photo shows the two men hugging each other, proving that they are the best of friends.
Anton opened the video by saying, “The first day of rehearsals, that’s always my favorite day. The second day, not so much,” to which Giovanni laughed.
Giovanni, who was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood, continued: “Because we have to remember everything from the first day. We’re on tour again. It feels good.”
Strictly Bosses have announced plans to introduce training companions and the appointment of two new wellness producers, following Graziano’s shock sacking from the show.
Now bosses have announced they will be introducing “additional measures to strengthen wellbeing and support across Strictly Come Dancing”.
A statement from the corporation said: “The concerns that have been raised in recent months have been primarily about training and rehearsals. The measures we are announcing today are designed to address these.”
New measures include the presence of a member of the production team during rehearsals in the training room at all times and increased support for both celebrity contestants and professional dancers.
A celebrity wellness producer and a professional dancer wellness producer will be appointed to fulfill these additional duties, and additional training will also be provided for the production team and staff.
Kate Phillips, director of BBC Unscripted, said: ‘While we know our programmes have been positive experiences for the vast majority of those who have taken part, if issues are raised or inappropriate behaviour is reported to us we will always take it seriously and act on it.
“The concerns that have been raised relate primarily to training and rehearsals. The decisive measures we have taken and announced today serve to further strengthen the well-being and support of all those involved in this production.”