Amanda Holden has broken her silence following reports that there is a feud between the singer and Strictly Come Dancing's Bruno Tonioli. Bruno, 67, has secured the former job of comedian and children's author David Walliams, and will be joining Amanda, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell on the judges' panel for Britain's Got Talent (BGT).
Bruno has reportedly been rushed off his feet filming the first auditions alongside the BGT long-timers over the course of the last week, but there have been rumours that the dancer and Amanda are struggling to get on. It was reported last month that Alesha and Amanda were reluctant to sign their contracts for another series of the ITV reality show.
The pair of judges were said to be unhappy that newcomer Bruno had arrived to BGT on the same amount of money that they are on, despite the two singers having appeared on the show for more than a decade. Amanda has now cleared the air during an interview with The Sun, asserting that she loves Bruno's "energy".
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Amanda told the publication: "He’s a wonderful ball of energy and in a good way he’s already broken every rule. So much so that Simon will probably have to throw out any rulebook this year.
"It’s going to be a brilliant series. We’ve only filmed auditions in London so far but we can't wait to get to Manchester for the first time since the pandemic hit."
David, who wrote popular children's books Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy, had been part of the BGT judges' panel since 2012 before it was announced that Bruno would be replacing him last month. Outrage ensued after a transcript of offensive comments made by the 51-year-old during an auditions show was leaked in 2022.
The Little Britain star apologised in a statement, writing: "I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
Ahead of BGT returning to our screens, Bruno has shared his excitement with fans. The star, who is based in Los Angeles, wrote on social media last week: "Here we are, Britain’s Got Talent.
"I am so excited. It’s my first show, I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I’m sure it’s going to be brilliant."
Bruno was known for his exaggerated arm waving and hilariously passionate feedback during his Strictly days, so it is hoped that he brings this to BGT. It has been reported that Simon hopes Bruno creates more headlines about BGT, as the dancer fell out of his chair from laughing too hard a number of times when he was a Strictly judge.
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