Strictly pro Anton du Beke calls for second same-sex pairing, says he wants to dance with NFL player Jason Bell
Anton Du Beke attends the red carpet launch for ‘Strictly Come Dancing 2018’ at Old Broadcasting House on August 27, 2018 in London, England. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Strictly Come Dancing professional Anton du Beke has said he’d love to dance with American football player Jason Bell, in a second same-sex pairing for the show’s next season.
It was revealed this month that lesbian Olympic boxer Nicola Adams would be the first celebrity to compete on the show with a same-sex partner.
Although Adams’s professional dance partner has not yet been announced, Anton du Beke, a ballroom and latin dancer and the longest-serving Strictly pro, has said he’d like to see a male same-sex partnership on the new series as well.
Appearing on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4 Friday (September 25), du Beke was asked by host Steph McGovern who his dream dance partner would be.
Du Beke said: “They’re a great bunch. I’ll tell you one I’m quite excited about, Jason Bell, the American Footballer. He’ll do for me!
“I’m a mad keen – it’s my guilty pleasure really – American Football fan, I love it! I’m excited about him coming on, I can’t wait.”
The Strictly pro has been vocal about his support for same-sex dance pairings on the show, insisting that the only difference would be the choreography.
He told Digital Spy last year: “Regarding whether we have any comfort with the same-sex thing, to us as professionals, it doesn’t mean anything.
“This is not a thing for us. This is a thing for [the public]. This is not a thing for us. We just dance. That’s just it. I’ve danced with fellas, a lot. For me, it’s not even a thing.”
He added: “It’s essentially how you choreograph it, really. We’re just going to choreograph numbers.
“If we dance with a fella, we dance with a fella. If we dance with a dame, we dance with a dame. It’s not a thing.”
Strictly Come Dancing will return to screens on October 12, 2020.
