Bruno Tonioli has "always taken risks" in his career.
Bruno Tonioli explains why he joined BGT
The 67-year-old star served as a judge on 'Strictly Come Dancing' from its inception in 2004 until 2019 but has just started appearing on the panel of 'Britain's Got Talent' alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon and explained that he was "very nervous" before taking his seat, especially because ITV had offered him another show.
He told The Sunday Mirror newspaper: "I was very nervous because I was the new boy at school. Of course, I know Simon but I had never worked with him before so I didn’t want to let him down. I’d also never seen the show before! But once we got started I felt at home immediately. Ant and Dec went out of their way to help me that first week. They are two of the best people in showbiz.
"ITV offered me two different very big shows – but I knew immediately which one I wanted to do. There was only ever going to be one choice for me. Got Talent is one of the world’s biggest franchises and I thought it was the right time to work with Simon. I’ve always taken risks in my career – I think it’s good to challenge yourself. When Strictly asked me to come back and sing on the show last year, I was determined not to make a fool of myself. But I did it because I wanted to prove something to myself. Joining BGT is another test."
Bruno went on to add that he observed long-serving judges Amanda and Alesha when he started filming and "learned a lot from them" before admitting that the live shows - which usually air in May - will be the "real test" for him.
He added: "I had worked with Alesha before but I didn’t know Amanda. I watched them both very closely because they know this show so well – I think I learned a lot from them but the live shows will be the real test for me. Absolutely amazing – we saw some incredible acts."