Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli has opened up about his decision to leave the BBC show.
The Italian had been a judge on the show since its launch in 2004, until he announced his departure in May.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Bruno spoke candidly about hanging up his Strictly boots in favour of his judging role on the US show Dancing With The Stars.
“There is no animosity, it was a mutual decision with both of us saying, ‘Listen, this is not going to work like it used to,'” he told the outlet.
Bruno has also been on the Dancing With The Stars judging panel since its launch in 2005.
The two dancing competitions run parallel to each other, resulting in frequent flying back and forth between the UK and the US.
“I have no idea what it did to my health, don’t go there!,” he said.
Professional dancer Anton Du Beke was announced as Bruno’s replacement in May, after his success as the judge’s temporary replacement during 2021 because of the pandemic travel restrictions.
In 2020, he also faced difficulties while appearing on the show, as travel uncertainties meant he could only appear via video-link to give his verdict on the performances during the Sunday night results show.
Bruno continued to describe the toll the “insane” work and travel schedule took on him.
“There was a moment in the middle of a run when I blanked,” he explained. “I’m playing a character. My accent becomes stronger, the facial expressions and body movements become bigger. You have to pump yourself up and keep it up for two hours. That’s so hard when you have all the added stress of the travel.”
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Despite the dramatic work schedule, Bruno gushed about Strictly Come Dancing.
“Strictly changed my life, it was like being born again,” he said. “I was a successful choreographer but this was like going back to the beginning as a performer. I loved it.”
The judge also gushed about Anton as his replacement on the show, “He did a very good job because he made it his own.
When asked if he felt in any way jealous of Du Beke, Tonioli said: “You don’t think like that. It’s like James Bond, right? You have Sean Connery and Daniel Craig but they are both still Bond.”
