Anton du Beke has his eye firmly on the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Glitterball trophy.
The 53-year-old professional dancer has never won the BBC One Latin and ballroom show and has been partnered with the likes of Ann Widdecombe and Nancy Dell’Ollio in the past.
But after making it into the semi-finals at the weekend with his celebrity dance partner, Emma Barton, after they won over the judges and viewers at home with their Charleston, which earned them an almost perfect score of 39 – Anton’s highest ever marks in the competition – he’s determined that they will be crowned the winners.
Anton tweeted: "SEMIFINALS here we come!! Huge congratulations to my incredible partner @EmmaBarton for such an amazing performance… and huge thanks to everyone who voted for us! That Glitterball’s another week closer, my loves – just phenomenal!! (sic)"
And Emma – who is best known for playing Honey Mitchell on BBC soap ‘EastEnders’ – added that she was "beaming" to be joining Karim Zeroual, Chris Ramsey and Kelvin Fletcher as the semi-finalists.
She tweeted: "Well OMG!!!! We are through to the SemiFinals…. can’t quite believe my luck! Thank you all for voting & for your lovely messages. @mrantondubeke are thrilled.. In fact BEAMING! Thank you again… we are very happy.. now to get ready for Week 12….. dancing shoes at the ready.. Lots of love (sic)"
Anton previously admitted he’s taking the competition more seriously being partnered with Emma.
He said: "It’s a different story for me. I can put away the humorous side and do something else which is lovely for me as a choreographer."
It’s been challenging for the pair, as the 43-year-old actress is juggling the show with her filming commitments.
However, Anton heaped praise on his partner for doing "incredibly well," even though her schedule disrupted their ‘Strictly’ preparation earlier this month.
He said: "She’s doing incredibly well. She is constantly working on ‘EastEnders’. "She’s doing two massive jobs.
"Emma was filming Monday and Tuesday so we only got into the studio.
"I’m going to see her this afternoon and we’ll work until late. She hasn’t had a lot of time but she’s such a pro."
Anton du Beke eyes Strictly Glitterball trophy after making semi-finals
