Bruno Tonioli stormed out and threatened to quit Strictly six years before exit

16 April 2023 , 08:00

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Bruno Tonioli stormed out and threatened to quit Strictly six years before exit

Bruno Tonioli stormed out of Strictly Come Dancing and threated to quit the show six years before he ended up leaving, reports say.

The Italian dancer, 67, was said to be so angry about a dance off back in 2016, the he walked out of the studio before recording the results show.

It came after Anastacia and Brendan Cole ended up in the bottom two alongside Melvin Odoom and Janette Manrara – but Anastacia pulled out of the dance-off due to an injury.

Since there was no dance-off, Melvin was eliminated after receiving the fewest number of votes from the public.

It has been claimed all judges were aware Anastacia and Melvin were in the bottom two before filming for the pre-recorded show begun.

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Bruno threatened to quit Strictly six years before he actually left (BBC)

They were also told that no dance-off would take place because Anastacia could not dance again, according to the Daily Star.

But when Bruno found out that the voting figures would determine the result, he reportedly disagreed with the producers and insisted Anastacia should be the one to automatically lose her place on the show.

The judge is said to have walked out to his car in protest to the decision, before eventually being persuaded to return.

At the time, the BBC denied any fixing allegations.

"There was no dance-off due to a confirmed injury," a BBC spokesperson told Digital Spy. "As per the Strictly Come Dancing rules, if the dance-off cannot go ahead, then the result reverts to the viewer vote."

He was upset over Melvin's shock exit from the BBC show (BBC)

After 18 years on the hit dance show, Bruno announced his departure whist appearing on the One Show, saying it was "his decision".

It was reported that Bruno had quit the BBC series after missing two series, appearing via camera link in 2020 and not at all in 2021.

He has since taken up a chair alongside Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell as a judge for Britain's Got Talent.

Bruno has replaced David Walliams and is expected to net £850,000 for his time as a host on the ITV show - which is reportedly three times the amount he was paid as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, which he worked on from 2004 until 2019.

It has been reported that ITV bosses had hoped to attract Alan Carr as a new judge on the show - but show boss Simon, 63, stamped his feet to demand Bruno be given the chair.

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The Mirror has contacted Bruno Tonioli's representative for comment.

Mia O'Hare