Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke has said he would be “very happy” to be paired with another man on the BBC dance show.
The professional dancer has come out in support of same-sex pairings after it was reported that the BBC is considering introducing same-sex couples to Strictly next year.
Asked if he would be happy to be paired with a man, Anton told the Mirror: “It’s just dancing, isn’t it? Fred Astaire danced with Gene Kelly. I’d have been very happy to dance with Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire, I don’t mind.”
The 53-year-old recalled dancing with his fellow professional Vincent Simone, who left Strictly in 2012, adding: “This isn’t going to be new for me – I’ve already done it.”
Anton’s comments come just days after it was revealed that the BBC received 189 complaints following a dance routine involving his Strictly fellow pros Graziano Di Prima and Johannes Radebe earlier this month.
The report published by the BBC states that complainants said it was “offensive to feature two men dancing as a pair”.
But Anton disagrees, insisting that Strictly is simply reflecting real life.
“Strictly is a bit of a mirror on society, actually. And it should be,” Anton said.
“Stuff like Johannes dancing with Graziano – it’s not such a big deal. As a dancer it isn’t even a thing. It’s quite normal because it’s dance and that’s what dance is. It’s creative.”
Earlier this week Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli labelled the complaints about Strictly’s first same-sex dance routine as “very sad”.
He tweeted: “It’s hard to believe after such progress in society and many other topics going on that (around) 200 people felt so upset they complained when two men danced with each other.”
For the last few years, fans have been calling for the show to allow pairs made up of two men or two women to take part in the competition, which has been backed by members of the Strictly family including Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas.
While the BBC long maintained that they would not stray from the “longstanding ballroom dancing format of mixed-sex couples”, this year they changed their stance on the issue, revealing they’d be “completely open” to the idea from next year.