Bruno Tonioli ‘quits Strictly Come Dancing’ after 18 years

Bruno Tonioli arriving at the red carpet launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2019

(Picture: PA)

Bruno Tonioli has bowed out of Strictly Come Dancing after 18 years, according to reports.

The Italian choreographer, 66, will not return for the BBC dance show as it has been claimed he plans to focus his time on Dancing With The Stars in the US.

Covid travel restrictions have had an impact on the TV judge’s jam-packed filming schedule over the past two years.

Now a source told The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden: “Bruno has quit the show for good. He’s going to be a judge only on [the U.S. version] Dancing With The Stars from now on.”

Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Shirley Ballas, Bruno Tonioli , giving a perfect score to Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev (PA)

The BBC had no comment on the story.

Tonioli appeared on Strictly via video link in 2020 but last year he didn’t appear on the show due to difficulties with flying between the UK and the US.

Instead Anton Du Beke stepped up into his judging role, having been a professional dancer on the show since it begun in 2004.

Tonioli has been a favourite on the show since he was part of the original Strictly judge panel alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips and his Dancing With The Stars co-star Len Goodman.

Du Beke was not on the list of professional dancers line-up confirmed by the BBC in April sparking speculation he was set to join the judges once again.

Earlier this year, the dad-of-two admitted he didn’t know whether he would return to Strictly Come Dancing this year.

“The absolute truth is that I don’t know. I haven’t been told. They literally haven’t spoken to me about it,” he told The Great British Life.

“So, whatever you’ve read, it is just a rumour. I’m hoping to get a call to say, ‘Look, here you go, come back judging please’, but we’ll wait and see.”

He continued: “I would like to think I’d be on the show in one way or another. I wouldn’t like to think they would just get rid of me altogether. That would be a bit dramatic to go from dancer to judge to off the show. That would be quite a career path, wouldn’t it?”

The Standard has approached Bruno Tonioli’s representatives for further comment.