Why Bruno Tonioli is not on Britain's Got Talent as Ant and Dec address absence
Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon were back on the judging panel but Bruno was noticeable absent as he was replaced
Bruno Tonioli's absence on the first episode of Britain's Got Talent was quickly addressed by hosts Ant and Dec as he was replaced by a YouTube star.
The former judge of Strictly Come Dancing quit the BBC show in 2022 after 18 years and joined the Britain's Got Talent judging panel the next year, replacing David Walliams.
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The Italian choreographer is also known for judging on DanceX, Dancing With The Stars and Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann.
And it was his committment to Dancing With The Stars that led him to miss the launch of the 18th series of BGT.
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He had to miss three days of filming due to his commitments to the programme in the US.
He is set to be back on the next episode of the show though, so hasn't been ditched from the panel completely.
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Hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly announced the start of the new series of Britain's Got Talent with news on Bruno'sabsence.
Opening the program tonight, the hosting duo explained the reason for Bruno missing out on the Blackpool shows, stating: "Bruno can't be here in Blackpool. The good thing is we've got a great replacement."
Bruno has been replaced by YouTube star and boxer KSI. The influencer's real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams 'JJ' Olatunji.
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He is a co-founding member of YouTube group the Sidemen, the CEO of Misfits Boxing, and the co-owner of several businesses, including Prime Hydration and Lunchly.
KSI had previously shared his thoughts on working alongside Simon Cowell, admitting he was careful about not "imposing" himself too much.
He remarked on his interaction with Simon: "He was cool. He seemed like he just loved my energy, loved that I wasn't afraid to buzz, and I wasn't afraid to give my opinion.
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"I wasn't just there liking everything and being like, 'everything is great', because that's kind of boring. I was myself, especially after the first day. To start with I didn't want to impose myself too much.
"I kind of wanted to see everyone's chemistry and kind of gel with that rather than try to stand out.
"And then once I kind of figured out what makes sense and my place, I kind of just ran with it and I got more and more comfortable and came into my own."