Waltzing off to America, Bruno? ‘Very busy’ judge to miss Strictly
FOR viewers, the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel is a thing of predictable beauty, from withering Craig Revel Horwood put-downs to an encouraging smile from Darcey Bussell.
But tonight it will be missing one essential ingredient: the never understated Bruno Tonioli. Famous for his wild gesticulations and lavish praise, he will miss this weekend’s Strictly, citing a demanding work schedule which required a break from the BBC show.
He is believed to be in the US, where he films Dancing With the Stars on Mondays, with his former Strictly colleague and head judge Len Goodman, fuelling fears among fans that the American show is taking precedence over the British format. On Thursday he tweeted a picture of himself in New York enjoying the musical Hamilton.
It will be the first time he has missed an episode of Strictly in 13 years on the show, making Revel Horwood the only judge never to have missed an episode.
The BBC said Tonioli would not be replaced, so for the first time the Strictly celebrities will be judged by a panel of three, negating the need for the head judge’s casting vote and upsetting statisticians who for the first time will not see total marks given out of a possible 40.
Representatives for Strictly and Tonioli himself declined to expand on the reason for his absence, saying only that it was down to a “very busy work schedule”. A BBC source said the judge needed a break and had scheduled it in before this series started.
A spokesman for Strictly said yesterday: “As was always the plan, Bruno Tonioli is not on the judging panel this weekend due to a very busy work schedule. He will be back as normal for our
Hallowe’en special and the rest of the series.” Tonioli’s own representatives said the decision was down to a “demanding work schedule and needing a break from transatlantic travelling”. The decision to schedule in the break for Tonioli, 61, follows exceptions made for Sir Bruce Forsyth, who, in his 80s, missed occasional episodes for health reasons.
Examples of judges missing shows have been rare. Len Goodman missed one weekend in 2011 to undergo a knee operation and was replaced by guest judge Jennifer Grey. Revel Horwood was appointed acting head judge. Yesterday’s announcement by the BBC caused consternation among fans, with some contacting Tonioli directly on social media.
‘Tonioli won’t be on the Strictly judging panel this week… hurry back for Hallowe’en, Bruno’
He told one he would be “100 per cent back next week”, explaining he had “just had a clash” while in Dancing With the Stars. When another asked whether his decision meant the American show was more important to him than Strictly, he replied: “Far from it!”
The Strictly Twitter account broke the news to fans: “Tonioli won’t be on the Strictly judging panel this week, due to a busy work schedule. Hurry back for Hallowe’en Bruno”.
Without him, this week’s Strictly judging panel will consist of Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell and Shirley Ballas, the new head judge, who replaced Goodman this year.