Bruno Toniolo has broken his silence on leaving Strictly Come Dancing – admitting it was a "miracle" he lasted 18 years on the judging panel.
The former Strictly judge, 66, had judges in the ballroom since the very first series in 2004, so the Italian choreographer was there right from the start.
However, he announced he was leaving the ballroom in May, much to the heartbreak of his loyal Strictly fans.
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Bruno has now spoken out about the real reasons he decided to depart from the series, admitting he was finding it tough to juggle the show with his other commitments.
He has also been a judge on the US talent show Dancing With The Stars, so he was struggling to divide his time between the UK and the States.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Bruno said: "There is no animosity, it was a mutual decision with both of us saying, ‘Listen, this is not going to work like it used to'."
Bruno has been on Dancing With The Stars since its first series in 2005, which meant he was constantly flying to and from the States as he judged both shows.
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He went on: "I just couldn’t do the flying any more. I don’t know how I survived that schedule. To be honest, it’s a miracle."
He added: "I have no idea what it did to my health, don’t go there!"
Bruno was replaced by Anton du Beke in May after he stood in for the Italian last year, when Covid travel limits meant the Italian couldn't get to the studio.
Tonioli also revealed he was playing an eccentric "character" on Strictly, which took a toll on his energy.
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He said: "I’m playing a character. My accent becomes stronger, the facial expressions and body movements become bigger.
"You have to pump yourself up and keep it up for two hours. That’s so hard when you have all the added stress of the travel."
However, he was full of praise for the BBC dancing show as he said it 'changed his life' and doing the show was like being born again.
Bruno added: "I was a successful choreographer but this was like going back to the beginning as a performer. I loved it."
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