Strictly's Ian Waite brands Bruno Tonioli 'entertainment value, but nothing else'

Strictly’s Ian Waite has taken a pop at judge Bruno Tonioli, saying he adds “entertainment value, but nothing else” to the show.

The choreographer made the comment during an interview on FUBAR Radio as he was chatting about the fact that Tonioli may have to miss Strictly this year. Tonioli is also a judge on America’s Dancing With The Stars and usually jets back and forth to do both shows, but the coronavirus pandemic might make that tough this year.

Asked if he would miss Tonioli if he wasn’t on Strictly, Waite started to chuckle.

“Do you want the honest truth?” he said.

“I love Bruno for the entertainment value, but nothing else.”

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Waite – who is a regular presenter on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two – said that Tonioli “doesn’t really say anything technical”.

“He's not really the technician of the panel. It's like, how many arms can I flail around and how expressive can I be?" he said.

However, Waite admitted the BBC show probably wouldn’t be the same without Tonioli dishing out critiques alongside judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.

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Strictly’s 2020 series had been hanging in the balance because of the pandemic but last month it was confirmed that it will return this year, but that it will be a shorter series than usual.

There has been plenty of speculation about whether Tonioli will manage to do both Strictly and Dancing With The Stars, with singer Cheryl’s name bandied around as a possible replacement on the Strictly panel if he can’t do it.