Bruno Tonioli was loved by Strictly fans for jumping energetically out of his chair while pouring praise on dancers, and he's promised even more exuberant antics in the next season of Britain's Got Talent (BGT).
Bruno, 67, has joined Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon on the BGT judging panel, with auditions kicking off in January.
The new judge told the Mirror he was left in tears after beautiful moments during the auditions and said his chair-leaping antics returned.
Speaking at the Together for Short Lives Ball, a charity fundraiser, Bruno said: "You can only be yourself and I give the audience all of myself. It isn't planned, I can't communicate sitting down, because I like to reach out."
Asked whether any moments have made him jump out of his chair on BGT, Bruno said: "Oh my God there's more than that. I have been on the stage.
"Honestly I did jump on my chair quite a few times because the talent we have seen is remarkable. It's just a natural reaction."
"Something made me cry, it was beautiful, it was deeply felt. These people are really passionate about their craft, they work incredibly hard."
Speaking at the charity do, attended by patron Simon and his partner Lauren Silverman, as well as celebrities such as Christine McGuinness and James and Ola Jordan, Bruno said BGT "provides a service" for artists to show off their craft.
"Back in the day people would do reviews, there used to be clubs, used to be cabaret, now it's all gone, it's all TikTok so I think it actually provides a service, which I wasn't even aware because I've never seen it."
Laughing Bruno went on: "Which winds up Simon quite a lot. But it's not just that, even watching Strictly, I can't watch what I do, because I want to seem natural in my reactions."
Covid travel rules disrupted Bruno's 18-year run on Strictly, as he couldn't fly over from America, and he was replaced by a former pro, Anton Du Beke.
Earlier this year Bruno's BGT role was announced, but Simon had been after him for a decade, according to Craig Revel Horwood.
Asked whether Bruno was a good addition to the ITV talent show, Craig said: “Of course. I’m so pleased for him.
“It’s the break Bruno needed and it’s a nice change of scene.
“Simon has wanted him on that show for the past 10 years but Bruno wasn’t prepared to leave Strictly, until Covid sort of made that decision for him.”
In January, speaking about his move, Bruno said: “This is the biggest show on British TV, now that I’m here. I mean it. Simon is going to hate that I’ve said that but oh well.”
He went on: “I have nothing bad to say about Strictly, it changed my life. But this is completely different.
