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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Joel Leaver

Bruno Tonioli's life away from Britain's Got Talent - Romance to jet-set life

Bruno Tonioli was announced as the latest addition to the judging panel on Britain's Got Talent (BGT) earlier this year, with his debut on the show airing this weekend.

The professional dancer, 67, has joined long-serving judges Simon Cowell, 63, Alesha Dixon, 44, and Amanda Holden, 52, on the popular ITV talent show for its new series.

It isn't his first time on a panel though, as he's known for having been a judge on Strictly Come Dancing as well as on international version Dancing With the Stars (DWTS).

And although viewers are likely very familiar with Bruno as a judge, they may not know much about his life away from such TV projects, so here's a look at his life off-screen.

Britain's Got Talent judging panel now features Bruno Tonioli (second from right) alongside Alesha Dixon (second from left), Amanda Holden (centre left) and Simon Cowell (centre right) (ITV)

Romances

Bruno - who was romantically linked to his pal Matt Law some years ago - seems to keep his relationships under wraps, though he's previously given insights into his life.

He told the Mirror in 2005: "I always sleep on my own. [...] Always separate bedrooms, bathrooms and closets." And he added: "I'm very individual and I want my own space."

The talent show judge has also previously spoken about his experience growing up in Italy, with him saying during same interview: "I really was the only gay in the village".

The dancer - who said he was targeted by some of his peers before becoming "popular" - said he didn't bring up his sexuality to his late parents but suspected they "knew".

Career

Bruno is best known for having been a judge on other shows like Strictly Come Dancing (ABC via Getty Images)

Bruno reportedly has a net worth of around £8 million, according to the Sun, with such wealth said to have primarily been earned through TV projects over the years.

His salary on Strictly was reportedly around £250,000 per series, for example, and it's been claimed that he's on a six-figure salary for his role on the BGT panel this year.

He had been a long-serving judge on Strictly, having been on the show from 2004 until his departure in 2020. He'd worked alongside the likes of Craig Revel Horwood, 58.

Bruno, pictured with pals Carrie Ann Inaba (left) and Len Goodman (right), is also a judge on Dancing with the Stars (Walt Disney Television via Getty)

The latest series featured him on the panel alongside long-time colleagues Carrie Ann Inaba, 55, and Len Goodman, 78, as well as more recent judge Derek Hough, 37.

Bruno has appeared on other shows like The Masked Dancer and earlier in his career was a choreographer on films like Ella Enchanted (2004) and Little Voice (1998).

During his time as a choreographer, he's said to have worked with a acts including Sir Elton John, Tina Turner, Freddie Mercury, the Rolling Stones and Bananarama.

Celebrity pals

Bruno is pals with the likes of Lizzie Cundy (SplashNews.com)
He was seen recently with Piers Morgan (centre), Amanda Holden (bottom right) and Gary Lineker (top right) (Instagram)

Having worked in showbiz for decades, it's no surprise that Bruno has some celebrity pals. One of his closest friends is understood to be former WAG Lizzie Cundy, 54.

The pair have been photographed together on various occasions over the years and Lizzie described him as her "dearest friend" in a post on Instagram earlier this year.

Bruno is pals with some of his former co-stars like Len and Craig, both of whom he worked with on Strictly. And he also seems close to his current DWTS colleague Carrie.

Bruno has posted about other celebrity pals in the past, including a photo from a festival in 2019 (instagram/ @brunotonioliofficial)

He's friends with his fellow judges on BGT, with Bruno recently revealing that him and Simon "go back a very, very long time". And he had worked with Alesha on Strictly.

And enjoyed a catch-up in Los Angeles recently with fellow judge Amanda and a host of other celebrities, including Piers Morgan, 58, and Gary Lineker, 62.

Bruno revealed some of his other celebrity pals when he posted a selfie from a festival in 2019. It included All Saints siblings Natalie Appleton, 49, and Nicole Appleton, 49.

The photo - which Bruno wrote #friendsforever alongside - also featured Bananarama's Sara Dallin, 61, and Keren Woodward, 62. EastEnders ' Samantha Womack, 50, and Sara's daughter Alice Dallin-Walker were also in the photo.

Lifestyle

Bruno has said that outside of work, he enjoys reading and going to the gym (Instagram)

Bruno has previously spoken about his life away from work, revealing in an interview last year that he's "pretty normal" and doesn't have much of a showbiz lifestyle.

Whilst speaking about his life, he told the Daily Mail : "When I'm not working, I don't do showbiz much. I go to the gym, see a play, have dinner. I am pretty normal."

According to the outlet, he said that reading about history is one of his pleasures. He had previously mentioned that he had an interest in reading during an interview in 2010.

He told the Telegraph : "I love reading. I'm very much into history, novels, biographies and I have a wide range of thrillers." He said he likes to "read and relax" on holiday.

Bruno is no stranger to enjoying a vacation, with one of his most recent trips abroad having been to Sardinia last year. He once teased about holidays: "I never have enough."

He's previously discussed the 'insane' schedule he had when he worked on both Strictly and Dancing with the Stars at the same time (PA)

Bruno previously teased that his lifestyle had been affected by him working on both Strictly in the UK and DWTS in the US at the same time over an eleven week period each year.

He said that he would head to Los Angeles on a Sunday and then work on DWTS. A few days later he would return to London for Strictly, before repeating the cycle.

Bruno - who is no longer a judge on Strictly - said during his interview with the Daily Mail last year that his schedule was "insane" whilst working on both TV shows.

And he teased that it had affected his life for the numerous weeks of production, commenting: "You don't go out, you don't see anyone. [...] Basically, you don't have a life."

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