Simon Cowell breaks silence after rumours point to Bruno Tonioli leaving BGT

18 June 2024

Simon Cowell has broken his silence amid new claims Bruno Tonioli will be leaving ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.

Simon Cowell has broken his silence amid new claims Bruno Tonioli will be leaving Britain’s Got Talent

The 64-year-old entertainment mogul opted to ignore rumours the former ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ panellist, 68, could be departing the ITV contest show, and instead announced he had joined TikTok.

In a short video posted to Instagram, Simon said: “Hello everyone. I am now officially on TikTok. But I'm not going to dance or sing", and promptly posted a link to the audition form for his new boyband, which comes almost 15 years after he launched One Direction to global fame.

His comments come just after industry insiders claimed ITV bosses were considering booting Bruno off ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ because filming for the show would clash with his ‘US Dancing With The Stars’ stint.

However, the source added Simon may insist the choreographer should stay.

The insider told The Sun newspaper: “Nobody else has been agreed upon or approached as a replacement, currently the question is just — do we keep Bruno at all?

“There is much discussion going on. It’s nothing sinister, but maybe a change would be better.

“But Simon Cowell might insist he stays.”

Speculation about Bruno’s future on the programme began earlier this month - with sources claiming Alan Carr was being lined up to replace him - but Simon dismissed the rumours as nothing but hearsay.

During an appearance on Heart Radio, he said: “I don't know where all this stuff comes from. I spoke to the producers literally two weeks ago about there [being] a scheduling issue with Bruno.

“Because we're doing the auditions - some of the auditions - this year and he's going to be in America. So maybe there'll be a stand-in for him. I don't know. But I love Bruno on the show. I think he's brilliant.”

Fellow ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge Amanda Holden agreed, and added: “He knows so much about what he's talking about. And actually, he's a brilliant, brilliant judge and the nicest person. So no, I would not replace him. He's coming back.”