Bruno Tonioli opens up over controversially replacing David Walliams on Britain's Got Talent
Bruno Tonioli is returning to Britain's Got Talent for his second series of the ITV show, reuniting with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon on the judging panel. However, the ex Strictly star has opened up about how he felt landing the BGT gig last year, having replaced former judge David Walliams.
David had been a judge on the show since 2012, however he quietly left BGT last year after X-rated comments he about a contestant on the show were leaked publicly.
Speaking to OK! in an exclusive interview, Bruno said: "I’ve done a massive show before but there is a lot to live up to when you’re the new kid on the block. You can’t take anything for granted.”
“Simon is a friend so there is the added pressure of not letting people down and obviously, [when you’re filming] you’re on the spot. And it’s like, ‘Here we go!’ But it worked very, very well and we had a great time.”
Bruno added that he had never watched any Britain's Got Talent before joining the panel. "I think every show is a new beginning - I had never watched it. I never watched any Strictly either.
“I never watch anything I’m in because I don’t want to be affected by it. When I’m filming, I can feel whether something works or not. It’s like when you meet your first love - I want to keep that moment going. Instead of, ‘OK, here we go again.’”
Leaving the show last year, David said in a statement that it was "time to move on and focus on his other projects," after apologising for his comments about contestants. "I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020," he said at the time.
In the leaked transcript, David reportedly called on elderly contestant "a c***" three times and said of a female contestant: "She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don't."
David Walliams reportedly sued Britain's Got Talent bosses for significant damages in September 2023 over his exit from the show. The Sun reported that David was "going to war" with Fremantle, the production company that makes BGT, with his lawyers arguing that his comments were part of "private conversations" and were "never intended" to be broadcast.
Britain's Got Talent airs Saturday 20th April at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
