The Graceful Heart of Bruno Tonioli: Honesty and Integrity in the Spotlight
Britain’s Got Talent judge Bruno Tonioli says the key to his success is staying professional. Fellow TV hosts Gino D’Acampo and Gregg Wallace have recently come under scrutiny following allegations of bad behaviour on set. But Bruno says that while you can poke fun at people, there is a line you don’t cross – and he vows to call out anyone deemed to be taking it too far. He says: “There is a code of conduct and offstage, if I feel I have seen anything that is inappropriate, I would nip it in the bud. But I haven’t seen anything on a show when I was there, so that’s all I can say.”
Bruno is back scouring the country for the next big thing as he prepares for the 18th series of Britain’s Got Talent on Saturday. And the British-Italian star, 69, says he likes to bring some spice to the small screen. Speaking to us after this year’s auditions for the talent show, he says: “You can’t do anything with pre-conceived [notions], you have to be real. You have to be entertaining too – you don’t want to bore people.”
Bruno, who has more than two decades of experience judging talent shows, says the secret to staying away from scandal is to be true to yourself. The former Strictly panellist says: “Whatever I’ve done or said has always come from good intentions… it’s never intended to shock and I’ve never had any problems in the past.
“Obviously, there are lines you don’t cross but at the same time, sometimes if you’re spicy in the right way, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s comedy, it’s entertainment. But you can’t think, ‘Oh I can’t do this, I can’t do that’, because you end up trying to please everybody and you please nobody.”
Bruno began his career as a performer and choreographer in the 80s and has since been involved in music videos, stage shows and tours for artists such as Tina Turner, Sting and The Rolling Stones. He also danced in the 1983 music video for Elton John’s I’m Still Standing. He spent 15 years as a Strictly judge from 2004 to 2019 before moving to BGT in 2023. Having worked in showbiz for four decades, Bruno says he has always treated everyone on set with respect, saying: “I treat everybody exactly the same – the camera crews have known me for years.”
Other relationships go back just as far. Bruno’s friendship with fellow judge Simon Cowell, for example, spans four decades. He admits they have had some wild nights out together, but refuses to divulge just how wild they were.
“I’m never gonna tell you that,” he laughs. “I’ve been around some very big people, and I’m like a doctor – whatever happens privately, it will stay with me for ever. There are some things you have to keep for yourself, know what I mean?”
Simon showed he had complete trust in Bruno when he asked him to join the permanent BGT judging panel, which also features broadcaster Amanda Holden and singer Alesha Dixon. Bruno recalls: “[Simon said] ‘Oh, you do whatever you want. I said, ‘Are there any rules, anything?’ and he said, ‘Oh, don’t know, darling… there’s no rules. You just do you, do your thing.’”
There were definitely some rules though, as Bruno would go on to discover. He admits: “I remember the first show I pressed the Golden Buzzer in the middle of a performance. “Nobody told me you had to wait. But I’ve learned from that.”
Now going into his third series of the show, Bruno knows his Golden Buzzers from his red Xs and feels settled in the judging panel. He says: “They made me feel at home from day one, it’s such a good team and extremely professional. We are all very supportive of each other. There’s no dramas – we get on with it. We’ve got a show to do! We are professionals.” This year the show also welcomes YouTube sensation KSI as a guest judge. The boxer previously stood in for Bruno while he was filming Dancing with the Stars in the US.
Bruno is so happy with the BGT gig that he has no plans to slow down, insisting that fans of the show will be seeing him on screen for as long as possible. He says: “[Retiring] has never crossed my mind because I still love what I do and if people like it, I don’t intend to retire. If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it. If they want me, I’ll be there.” He continues: “I still feel like every show is the first one because it’s so unpredictable what’s going to happen. We really have no idea… some of the stuff is so extraordinary.”
BGT really has seen it all, from dancing troupes to magicians – and some acts even get the judges involved, at their own risk. One audition almost ended very badly for Simon, who found himself extremely close to being hit over the head with a hammer.
