Anton du Beke

Bruce Forsyth is my hero, and the thought that I'd be in a TV show with him was incredible.

We didn't know anything about Judy Murray until we met her, but once we got to know her, we found she was an absolute scream.

Because we had no other relatives living in the U.K., me, my parents and my siblings continuously journeyed abroad to bond with our extended family.

I was one of those people who just flitted about in life. I had no plans and no sense of direction.

I don't profess to be Luciano Pavarotti, but I can hold a tune.

I'm happy to dance with anyone, to be honest. I've had some great partners, who have all been talented. But not all of them at dancing.

I think I've got a bit more to offer than just dancing. It might just be me that thinks that, but it's worth saying.

I do watch what I eat, but I don't make it myself. When I eat out, I just have to make sure the things I buy are good and healthy.

I think cookery shows have become so sophisticated, and everyone's so marvellous at it, but there are people like me who aren't into the cooking malarkey, who still don't know how to boil an egg for three minutes.

I always enjoy the process, meeting somebody new and spending time with them and becoming friends with them. That has always been the joy of 'Strictly' for me, so I enjoy every year.

'Strictly' is a bit like scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup Final or sinking the final putt in the Ryder Cup - only a few people get the opportunity to do it, and they have got to be famous.

As I grew up, I wasn't a great buyer of albums, but I really liked 'The Jam.' I like good musicians and loved the energy of their songs.

I go through money like a bloke with three arms.

I wish I'd become a professional dancer sooner. I did other jobs - like baking - while dancing part-time, and didn't commit until I was 29.

I get really very upset when I'm voted out, and I feel very disappointed.

I'm going for Britain's Best Dressed Man award, but strangely, I'm never on the list.

I worked as an interior designer. I worked as a furniture salesman. I worked as a financial adviser. I worked as a painter and decorator - that wasn't for very long. I was a baker for about four-and-a-half years.

I want to do lots of exciting, varied, interesting things. That's what I want to do.

The worst question is, 'Where do you see yourself in five years?' I don't know. Variety is the spice of life. That's the best way to describe it.

So much illness is self-induced - which I can't stand. And I'm not a good nursemaid. Don't call me if you're ill.

I have no trouble with my sleep, but the amount I have varies from four to eight hours, depending on my schedule.

When you dance together, there's a fabulous interaction. It's quite intimate. You're touching your partner, leading them. Learning how to behave in that person's proximity is a skill. I love it. I can't imagine tiring of it.

Having been part of this wonderful show ever since series one, I know all too well what it's like to perform to the nation on the famous 'Strictly Come Dancing' dancefloor.

I look better with a tan, but I've never gone the fake route. I don't need to - I have good foreign genes: half Spanish, half Hungarian.

I know what I'm good at, and if I'm asked to do something I'm not - like hip-hop dancing - I get self-conscious.

I work out in the gym three times a week on top of my dancing, so I have to eat a lot to keep my weight and energy up: a big breakfast, and little and often throughout the day.

I have a magnificent chin and a long, odd-shaped face. As a result, I always look better in collars.

Wherever I can get a fast track, I'll try to because I can't stand the airport experience. If you can afford priority boarding, then do it. Nobody wants an unpleasant experience before it starts.

If I avoid anything, it's that I don't really go to places that are like a little corner of England. I also never mind going to a dance show because I love it all so much.

The Ritz in London has an old-fashioned charm, with waiters wearing tails and white gloves. The dining room is exquisite, with immaculate service and ornate details.

At places like Chelsea, often the garden displays are so big and grand that you'd never be able to have them at home.

I just like to sit and admire my garden; it's so well kept by my gardener and my girlfriend.

My goal was to become the best dancer in the world and, because I started late, I always had this feeling I was playing catch-up, so I've been a bit of a maniac most of my life, sort of striving.

The world would be a better place if everyone learned to dance.

Life's supposed to be an adventure, a surprise!

I enjoy watching talented cooks bringing together ingredients into a fabulous dish.

As soon as I started dancing at 14, I knew I was always going to be a professional dancer.

There is not a lot of money in competition dancing. There never has been; it's all about winning the trophies, really. It's not like golf.

My father is Hungarian and moved to Britain during the uprising, and my Spanish mum comes from Galicia; they moved here at the end of the Fifties.

I remember watching the Three Tenors at the World Cup in 1990, and it was amazing. They made opera accessible to the man in the street.

Frank Sinatra was a great singer, but my favourite is Sammy Davis Jr. He had incredible versatility in his voice, often doing impressions of people. It's always going to be classic, and you'll never get bored listening.

I hated most music in the 1970s, especially disco, but Bowie was edgier.

When I'm dancing with any woman, I immediately get rid of intimacy barriers. I just give her a big hug and crack on.

My goal is to be the best TV presenter, the best entertainer, the best singer. I still want to be the best dancer. I want to be the best at everything I do.

My only drive was to be the best dancer in the world, but I never won the world championship.

My perfect morning is spent drinking coffee, eating porridge and reading the paper at a local cafe.

I've been playing golf as long as I've been dancing, since I was 13 or 14. I play off six. I like to get out on a golf course as often as I can.

With the media how it is these days, people expect to know everything. I don't talk about my girlfriend because essentially she doesn't want to be talked about.

I like to get up and get out. Otherwise you end up kicking about, and it's easy to flick the telly on; then before you know it, it is 11 A.M. and you haven't done anything.

Being fit is the easiest part of being a dance professional. I used to just throw on a backpack full of rocks and run up a hill. You don't even have to go to a gym.