Bruno Tonioli will bring "energy" to the Britain's Got Talent judging panel, according to his former colleague Craig Revel Horwood.
The Mirror exclusively reported last night that Bruno will take the spot on the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel to replace David Walliams.
Bruno’s friend and former Strictly star Craig gave an update on the behind-the-scenes negotiations as the auditions are set to start filming next week.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday morning ahead of the BBC One’s arena tour and host Susanna Reid asked if he could ‘confirm or deny’ whether Bruno would be in the ITV panel hot seat.
Craig said: “I would love to say he is, but I believe he’s up against Alan Carr as well. So, I think they’re juggling and they’re going to save it as a surprise.”
He continued: “So, I in fact don’t know. Bruno is very secretive with me, darling. He will never be honest with me or tell me the truth, so I really don’t know.”
He then added: “I would love to see Bruno back on our screens. It’s a great position to have, so I wish him all the very best if he is in the running for it, because I think it would be wonderful to get that energy back on the telly.”
Italian extrovert Bruno was a regular on the BBC ballroom show for 17 series from 2004, until Covid prevented him from flying over from the US in 2020 and he has since been replaced on the panel by former professional dancer Anton du Beke.
Bruno remains a judge on the US version of the BBC hit, Dancing with the Stars, which films in the autumn.
Bruno, who is based in Los Angeles, was known on Strictly for his funny and passionate verdicts which often involved energetic arm-waving.
Since leaving Strictly, Bruno has appeared alongside Craig Revel Horwood in ITV travel series Great British Road Trips and he also took part in The Masked Dancer.
Bruno and friend Simon Cowell have long tried to dream up a way for him to join BGT as in 2018, Bruno revealed: “I’ve told him to come up with something new and we’ll think about it. We have discussed these things for a number of years but it has never come to anything concrete.”
Filming for Britain’s Got Talent kicks off at the London Palladium on January 24.
