Bruno Tonioli praises replacement Anton Du Beke

Bruno Tonioli says Anton Du Beke "deserves" to be on the 'Strictly Come Dancing' panel.

After Bruno quit his role on the UK TV show due to his commitments to 'Dancing With The Stars' in the US, he was permanently replaced by professional dancer Anton, 55, and is thrilled for his pal.

According to The Sun, he said: "Anton has done a fantastic job. He deserves to be on that seat. Anton is brilliant. He will be brilliant."

Bruno, 66, admitted that the opportunity of working with Disney+ for 'DWTS' was too big of an opportunity to pass up and he could no longer continue to travel between London and Los Angeles every week.

He said: "I'm done I just can’t do it anymore. Going back and forth was too much.

"'Dancing with the Stars' has moved onto Disney+ and will be streaming live. It's a big deal, it's very very exciting.

"And because of the travel situations I can't guarantee that I am going to be there because anything can happen.

"Last year I changed my ticket every week - they need continuity. I absolutely support them, it's my decision."

Anton will serve on the judging panel alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Head Judge Shirley Ballas.

He said: "Woohooo! This is BRILLIANT news. Everyone knows how much I absolutely love the show and I’m utterly delighted to be continuing as a regular judge. And I get to make the final again - now I know how Giovanni feels!"