Britain's Got Talent's Simon Cowell has set the record straight on co-star Bruno Tonioli's future on the show following rumours he's set to be replaced.
Simon was interviewed by fellow judge Amanda Holden and her Heart radio co-host Jamie Theakston on their Breakfast show about media reports suggesting Bruno won't return for the 2025 series.
"It seems right to discuss the future of the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel…," Jamie said before reading out the newspaper headline: "Britain’s Got Talent set to drop judge Bruno and hire comic Alan Carr."
The radio presenter barely finished reading the headline before Simon interjected with a firm "No".
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"I don’t know where all this stuff comes from," he added. "I spoke to the producers literally two weeks ago about it. There is a scheduling issue with Bruno because we’re doing some of the auditions this year and he’s going to be in America."
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The show creator added that as a result there may be a "stand in" for Bruno during his filming conflict. He then went on to praise the former Strictly Come Dancing star's contribution to the talent show.
"I love Bruno on this show," he said. "I think he’s brilliant and he knows so much about what he’s talking about.
"Sometimes when people are singing a certain kind of music he’s like talking so eloquently and I’m thinking actually he's a brilliant, brilliant judge, and the nicest person. So no I would not replace him. He’s coming back."
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Amanda similarly shared her compliments of co-star Bruno, agreeing: "He brings such an amazing energy and he knows so much."
Simon, Amanda and Bruno were three of the four judges on the panel for this year's series alongside singer Alesha Dixon.
Singer Sydnie Christmas walked away as Britain's Got Talent's 2024 winner this month, impressing with her performance of 'Over the Rainbow' in the live final, which received a standing ovation from all judges.
Britain's Got Talent airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
