Strictly bosses issue warning to Anton du Beke after ‘raising eyebrows’ with saucy gag
STRICTLY judge Anton Du Beke was torn off a strip by bosses after he made a rude joke on the pre-watershed live show.
There were gasps from the audience when he quipped that he and fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood had performed a dance move naked.
Some viewers were shocked at the 7.30pm aside he made after a samba by same-sex pairing Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin.
After his naughty punchline, 57-year-old Anton added: “The only reason I’m telling you this is because I have nothing to say about this dance — it was pretty much perfect.”
Producers later told him to be mindful of younger viewers.
A source said: “Producers reminded Anton that Strictly is a family show and cheeky, subtle innuendo for the adult viewers is fine but he’d taken things a little too far.”
A BBC spokesman declined to comment.
Layton and Nikita went on to be awarded a total of 39 out of 40 — the highest score in week five for 13 years.
Ratings for the show slumped a third from highs of 8.8million, likely due to England’s Rugby World Cup semi-final versus South Africa shown on ITV.
Last night comedian Eddie Kadi became the fourth celebrity to leave Strictly after losing in a dance-off against Zara McDermott.
He said: “I’ve really enjoyed this.
“This has been the highest moment of my career.
“It’s the happiest I’ve ever been, but not just for me – my family.
“My little baby girl is at home doing the Men in Black dance.
“More importantly, this little African boy, I just wanted my culture to shine.”