Bruno Tonioli visited Bruce Forsyth’s ashes to pay his respects when he was filming Britain’s Got Talent, the Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Tonioli, 68, became close to Sir Bruce when he was a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, so when BGT was filming at the London Palladium he took the opportunity to go see him.
Sir Bruce’s ashes were laid to rest under the stage at the famous West End venue a year after his death from pneumonia in August 2017.
It was the perfect resting place as he first presented Sunday Night at the London Palladium in 1958 and last performed his one-man show there in 2015.
He passed away at the age of 89 after a career of more than 70 years. He hosted Strictly Come Dancing for 15 years, and Tonioli was a judge since 2004.
Bruno Tonioli visited Bruce Forsyth’s ashes to pay his respects when he was filming Britain’s Got Talent, the Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Tonioli said that Bruce Forsyth had noticed something in him when they began working together and thanked him for helping him in his career.
The Italian now plays the same role on BGT, which returned to ITV last night for its 17th season.
She made her first appearance on the panel alongside Simon Cowell, 64, Amanda Holden, 53, and Alesha Dixon, 45, last year following the departure of David Walliams, 52.
The last London auditions were held at the London Palladium earlier this year.
Tonioli, speaking at the launch of the latest series, said he had Sir Bruce to thank for his successful career on British television.
He said the artist had noticed something about him when they started working together, so it was only natural to go pay his respects.
Bruce was downstairs. We went and saw it. I loved working with him.
‘It was him who moved me from the last seat to the first seat on Strictly. In the first show, he was on the other end and in the second show I was moved.
‘He felt I had something. He loved him for that.’
Tonioli left Strictly five years ago. Only now, she says, can she see it.
He said: ‘I never watched Strictly when I was on it. The show is fantastic. What they have done very well is not trying to do what we did. They are doing it their way.
‘I look at it now. I told (current judges) Shirley (Ballas) and Anton (du Beke) to just be you. I’m still very friendly with all of them. When we see each other, it’s like old times.
‘With Britain’s Got Talent you get a variety of talents. You cannot compare anyone, each one is unique.
‘Strictly it was different, everyone had to tick the same boxes. The programs cannot be compared.
“In this program, I don’t feel like I’m judging but I’m participating.”
Tonioli returns to the new series of Britain’s Got Talent alongside Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell