Britain’s Got Talent star Bruno Tonioli’s sly dig at his fellow judges as he reveals he may get botox
BRITAIN’S Got Talent judge Bruno Tonioli has vowed to get Botox injections – after realising he is the only panellist whose face moves.
The flamboyant Italian, who joined the ITV show last year, made the dig at fellow judges Simon Cowell, 64, Amanda Holden, 53, and Alesha Dixon, 45, after seeing last night’s episode.
Bruno, 68, exclaimed: “I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror and said, ‘Bloody hell, I am the only person with wrinkles’.
“I do my thing but I haven’t done Botox yet. I will now. There’s nothing wrong with it if it makes you look better on screen, I’m not commenting on that.
“I think I could do with a bit. I’m very expressive, so I’m not sure if I could cope if I couldn’t move my face.
“But you have choices. I’m not one to criticise people’s choices.
“If it makes you feel better there’s nothing wrong with it.”
‘Social suicide’
Unlike many stars who cake themselves in SPF cream for fear of sun damage, Bruno still enjoys catching a tan and is showing off a deep bronzed look underneath his unbuttoned, white, lacey shirt.
Sipping champagne after the BGT launch screening at London’s Ham Yard Hotel, Bruno told me: “This is not a fake tan.
“I’ve just come back from Los Angeles. When I’m not working I go to the gym, go home and I sunbathe in the garden with a good book.”
Bruno, who spent 15 years as a judge on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, shows no signs of slowing down and declares he would rather die on stage than retire from showbiz.
He said: “If I drop dead I will drop dead on stage. I love what I do. I always had this dream since I was a kid and what has happened is beyond what I could have ever dreamed of.
“Obviously I had to work very hard, I had to teach myself languages, but still being here, still working in the UK, still working in Hollywood. It’s like, ‘Wow! It’s meant to be’.”
Asked what the secret to his ongoing energy is, Bruno reveals he only boozes in moderation.
He said: “There’s nothing wrong with drinking, but I don’t get drunk.
“Maybe because I’m European, a glass lasts me an hour. I was born into a working-class family but my father . . . you don’t sit at the table without a bottle of wine.
“I mean, it’s absolutely non-negotiable, but he never got drunk. It’s a different mentality, a different approach. Seeing somebody drunk was almost like social suicide.”
But Bruno, who in his 20s used to go clubbing with Simon in Majorca, has stories up his sleeve about his new boss.
He said: “We’ve known each other for a very, very long time. I went to his house once and I pruned all these roses. It was so overgrown. I said, ‘I can’t take this’, so I cut it all down. He’s never forgiven me for that.”
He added cheekily: “There are certain things I cannot go into. But I can go into the roses. Other things should remain private.”
He also recalls a time in the Eighties when he nearly got beaten up on a raucous night out with girl band Bananarama in Newcastle.
He said: “They could drink. I had the best time. They should do a film about Bananarama. They didn’t give a s**t about anything.
“I did ten music videos for them. I remember we did a show in Newcastle. We went to a club after the show and started playing a game, and if you went wrong, you had to drink a shot of vodka. I never drank hard liquor. It doesn’t agree with me.
“Anyway, we were absolutely hammered then we started dancing and ripping our clothes off, literally screaming.
I’m very expressive so I’m not sure how I
Bruno Tonioli
could cope if I couldn’t move my face
“Then these guys that saw these beautiful women dancing with three gay boys — you know, 2am in Newcastle, I could sense trouble.
“I said, ‘Girls, run. Run, now. Run!”. I saw this geezer, I’m talking a big motherf**er, he was like, ‘I’m gonna f**ing cut your f**ing dick off’.
“The next day we had to fly home, I vomited all the way from Newcastle to London. That was the last time I got really drunk.”
Bruno was replaced by Anton Du Beke on Strictly when the Covid restrictions kept him in the US. But he has no regrets about jumping ship to ITV and admits he still hasn’t spoken to the Brit pro dancer.
He said: “I haven’t watched it, but it’s funny, I never watched it when I was in it. I have no regrets.
“I’m still doing Dancing With The Stars in America. “I haven’t spoken to Anton, they are all still my friends.
“The show is extremely successful and I had a fantastic time on it.”
I want to play a baddie, a mafioso, a drug dealer. I love The Gentlemen
Bruno Tonioli
Bruno, who is moved to tears by a particular act in the upcoming BGT series, would like to do more acting and has his sights set on being a villain, after being inspired by Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen.
He said: “I’ve sung, I’ve danced, I’ve done all of that, but I want to play a baddie.
“I’d do it uncredited because you put my name on and they say it’s a celebrity booking, that’s s***t.
“I want to play a baddie, a mafioso, a drug dealer. I love The Gentlemen.
“There’s nothing wrong with showing your emotion, it doesn’t make you weak.
“Not being able to express your emotions is a weakness that creates a lot of problems.
“So in fact, it’s a show of strength to be able to cry.”
Takeover by judges’ juniors
AMANDA HOLDEN has revealed that there could be a Junior BGT show, with her daughter and Simon’s son as judges.
The telly judge told how her youngest daughter Hollie, 12, and Simon’s son Eric, ten, are at auditions giving their opinions on the acts.
She said: “It’s just brilliant. I feel like they are definitely the ones to take over from us when we’ve all moved on.
“Eric and Hollie keep telling Simon that there should be a junior Britain’s Got Talent, which they would be judges on.
“Hollie and Eric are close buddies. They’ve been everywhere together on this show.
“There was one afternoon where Hollie was getting everyone cups of tea, water and snacks. She’s absolutely made herself at home.
“They are super-naughty together, but in a cute way.
“It’s brilliant and has been heart-warming to watch.”
But Amanda is adamant that it is important to teach her daughter that a career in showbiz isn’t easy.
She revealed: “I said to her, ‘It’s a hard gig’.
“She asked if she could shadow somebody to see what really happens behind the scenes to make a show like Britain’s Got Talent.
“So she got stuck in for one afternoon and evening, and she absolutely loved it. I think she’d like to come back and do proper work experience.”