Britain's Got Talent is well underway and the much-loved talent show, which has catapulted acts like Susan Boyle and Diversity to fame, is offering another batch of talented hopefuls the chance to win a whopping £250,000 and perform at the prestigious Royal Variety Performance.
New judge Bruno Tonioli is back for his second season, after taking over from David Walliams last year. He sits on the panel alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.
Bruno, a familiar face from his long stint on Strictly Come Dancing since its inception in 2004, stepped down in 2022, leaving fans wondering what he's been up to and how his BGT paycheck compares.
It turns out juggling his role on Strictly with his judging duties on America's Dancing with the Stars became too hectic. "I just can't do it anymore. Going back and forth was too much," Bruno revealed to The Sun, expressing that the constant transatlantic travel had become unsustainable.
"Last year I changed my ticket every week - they need continuity. I absolutely support them, it's my decision," reports Birmingham Live.
Bruno was unable to join Strictly for the 2020 series due to Covid travel restrictions, and he was replaced on the judging panel by Anton du Beke in 2021. It was officially announced last year that Tonioli would not be returning to Strictly as a judge.
Since leaving Strictly Come Dancing, Bruno Tonioli has continued to serve as a judge on the US version of the show, Dancing with the Stars. In 2022, he competed in the second series of ITV's The Masked Dancer as The Pearly King, finishing in third place overall.
He also made an appearance on the 2022 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, serenading viewers with his own version of 80s hit Don't Leave Me This Way by The Communards.
The Sun reported in January 2023 that Bruno Tonioli would be paid £850,000 to appear on the Britain's Got Talent judging panel. This is more than treble the £250,000 that the judges on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing are reported to earn.
In November 2023, The Sun reported that Bruno had bagged a pay rise to come back for a second season of the show.
According to Hello!, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden are also reportedly paid £850,000 per series for serving as judges on BGT. Simon Cowell, meanwhile, is understood to receive a seven-figure sum, with some reports putting his earnings at more than £1.5 million per episode.
Metro reported in December 2022 that Amanda earned £700,000 per series while Alesha got £450,000 - compared to Simon Cowell's £2.5 million and David Walliams' £1.5 million. However, Alesha and Amanda are said to have received pay rises to bring them more in line.
OK! has contacted Bruno's reps and ITV for comment.
Britain's Got Talent airs every Saturday on ITV1 and ITVX
