Advertisement

Bruno Tonioli responds 'that's showbusiness' to claims he beat Alan Carr to BGT job

The former Strictly Come Dancing judge has replaced David Walliams on the Britain's Got Talent judging panel

Bruno Tonioli has joined the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent for its upcoming new series. (Getty)
Bruno Tonioli has joined the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent for its upcoming new series. (Getty)

Bruno Tonioli has responded to rumours that he beat Alan Carr in the race to be named the new Britain's Got Talent judge.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star joined fellow judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon this week for the first set of auditions after being announced as the replacement for David Walliams.

Read more: Who else has judged Britain's Got Talent in the past?

Tonioli told the Daily Mail he wasn't aware of the details of talks between Carr and the BGT team, and said there won't be any hard feelings between him and the comic.

He said: "I haven’t had a clue about his negotiations. I love Alan and I know him, he is a very nice guy.

Watch: Bruno Tonioli arrives for filming at Britain's Got Talent auditions

"I didn’t know the situation with him, nothing was announced, and that’s showbusiness. This was down to ITV."

Walliams stepped down from Britain's Got Talent after a decade, following controversy when a leaked recording featured him making disparaging and abusive comments about contestants.

Read more: Alesha Dixon says she'll miss David Walliams on BGT

Carr was almost immediately rumoured as a potential replacement, with his friend and BGT veteran Amanda Holden among those publicly supporting him as a contender.

But ITV subsequently announced that Tonioli would be Walliams' replacement, and the new judge said he received a gift from his predecessor.

"David was the first person that sent me a text and a fantastic bottle of wine. He’s a very good friend," Tonioli revealed.

David Walliams had been a part of the Britain's Got Talent panel since 2012. (Syco/Thames)
David Walliams had been a part of the Britain's Got Talent panel since 2012. (Syco/Thames)

Tonioli said he was holidaying on the Caribbean island of St Lucia when Cowell contacted him about the prospect of filling the vacant chair on the BGT panel.

He added: "I have known Simon forever. I know that the show is right up my street. There were no long negotiations, I just said 'yes, I want to do it'.

Read more: Craig Revel Horwood backs Bruno Tonioli for BGT

"It happened so fast that I have practically nothing to wear. I am going to have to go shopping next week when I get to Manchester. I must make Simon pay."

Tonioli was previously a judge on Strictly Come Dancing between 2004 and 2019, but will now be a part of Britain's Got Talent when the show begins to air in the spring.

Watch: Is Simon Cowell planning a BGT animal spin-off?