Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly kicked off the new series of Britain’s Got Talent with an explanation about Bruno Tonioli’s absence.
Bruno was missing from the first auditions on the hit ITV show as it returned for its new series. Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon instead sat alongside YouTuber KSI, who replaced Bruno briefly.
Kicking off the show, as they opened the programme tonight, hosts Ant and Dec revealed just why Bruno wasn’t there – and that KSI was the replacement. They said: “Bruno can’t be here in Blackpool. The good thing is we’ve got a great replacement.”
KSI previously opened up about how it was like working with Simon Cowell, and feared “imposing” himself too much.
Speaking about working with Simon, he said: “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. 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.
KSI starred as a guest judge when Bruno was absent (
Image:
PA)
“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.”
He added: “It kind of reminded me when I perform or even when I’m boxing, I’d hear people screaming, shouting my name. It was craziness like that, but it was cool. Even while I’m sitting there to hear people shout my name and have people.”
Bruno also shared his verdict on his replacement, praising the YouTuber for being himself.
“The good thing about it, as we always say, he was himself. And that is the best way of doing it. You know? You do it from your point of view. He’s a very cool, very nice man. I think he was totally dazzled by all the acts we had out on stage,” he said.
Of the auditions in Blackpool, he added: “It was like a rock concert! I love that because they’re really listening, they’re really into it. They pay attention. They were very vocal, very supportive or booing us! It’s great because when you’re on stage and you’re performing, you can feel the audience. That is the best possible feeling you can have as a performer.”
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