Bruno Tonioli: Why He Left BGT, LGBTQ & Net Worth

Few television judges have ever turned pure enthusiasm into a spectator sport the way Bruno Tonioli has. The Italian-born choreographer left Ferrara at 18 to perform in Paris, according to UK entertainment site Heart, and went on to become the loudest man on British and American television. Underneath the noise is a quieter biography: a dancer who has kept the same partner for years and guards a private life that rarely makes headlines.

Full name: Bruno Tonioli · Born: 25 November 1955 (age 68) · Occupation: TV personality, choreographer, dancer · Known for: Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars, Britain’s Got Talent

Eight facts, one pattern: the loudest man on television spent decades earning the right to be heard.

Why has Bruno Tonioli left BGT?

The short answer is: reportedly, but not officially. Tonioli joined Britain’s Got Talent in 2023, according to Us Weekly, and by 2024 entertainment reports said he would step back after three seasons. Scheduling conflicts and other commitments were cited as the reason, and he was said to have expressed gratitude for his time on the show.

That exit never became a formal fact. His own agency, Independent Talent, published a client profile in May 2024 that still described him as most recently a judge on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. Wikipedia’s entry has him on the panel from 2023 to 2025 — a full three-series run, not an abrupt farewell.

Even Daily Record’s June 2024 profile treated him as a current BGT judge, spending its words on his life away from the show rather than a resignation announcement. Speculation about a possible return remains exactly that: speculation.

The implication: this may be a headline that outran the paperwork. Until ITV, Tonioli or his team confirms a permanent exit, the accurate description is “reported departure,” not “confirmed former judge.”

Is Bruno Tonioli LGBTQ?

Yes. Tonioli is openly gay, and his relationship with Jason Schanne has been part of his public profile for more than a decade. Us Weekly’s biography dates the relationship to 2010 and describes a commitment ceremony in 2012; some profiles round the start back to 2009.

Did Bruno Tonioli get married?

• No legal marriage has been officially reported.
• Us Weekly describes a commitment ceremony in 2012 — a milestone of commitment, not a registered wedding.
• Media profiles consistently refer to Schanne as Tonioli’s longtime partner rather than his husband.

How long have Bruno and Jason been together?

• Roughly 14 years as of 2024, based on Us Weekly’s 2010 starting point.
• Some biographical pages give the start year as 2009.
• The commitment ceremony in 2012 is the most consistently reported public milestone.

What is the age difference between Bruno Tonioli and his partner?

• Biographical roundups typically put the gap at around 16 years, with Tonioli the elder.
• Tonioli was born in 1955; Schanne’s exact birth date is rarely published.

Where was Jason Schanne born?

• In the United States, according to biographical coverage of the couple.
• The transatlantic setup matches a life split between US and UK television work.

What this means: Tonioli’s on-screen job is exaggeration, but his private life has run in the opposite direction — long, stable and voluntarily short on details. That contrast is a large part of why viewers kept rooting for the relationship.

What is Bruno Tonioli’s net worth?

No verified figure exists. Celebrity wealth roundups routinely place Tonioli’s net worth in the region of $10 million, but none of those estimates is audited, tax-documented or confirmed by Tonioli himself. The more outlets you check, the more the number moves — the clearest sign that it is guesswork.

What is on the record is the income mix. Two decades of judging on both sides of the Atlantic — Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars and Britain’s Got Talent — sit on top of choreography work and a 2012 autobiography, “Bruno Tonioli: My Story,” noted in TV Guide’s biography.

Are Simon Cowell and Bruno friends?

Yes, on the evidence of what they have said on air. Tonioli joined the Britain’s Got Talent panel alongside Cowell, and the two developed a visible, needling rapport — the kind of chemistry that reads as genuine.

“He’s a fantastic addition…”

Simon Cowell, on Bruno as a judge

The relationship fits a pattern in Tonioli’s career: he stays close to the people he works with, and Cowell is the most powerful example.

Is Bruno Tonioli still friends with Len Goodman?

• Tonioli shared the Strictly Come Dancing panel with Goodman and has spoken warmly about Goodman’s mentorship and friendship.
• The two judged a long run of celebrity contestants — Emma Barton and Alexandra Burke among them — from the same panel.

What this means: the friendships that anchor Tonioli’s career are with people who knew him as a dancer first. Cowell gave him a new stage; Goodman gave him a home on Strictly.

What ethnicity is Bruno Tonioli?

Italian — plainly. Tonioli was born in Ferrara, Italy, the birthplace listed in the snapshot above, and the Italian-ness is the engine of his entire persona: the accent, the physicality, the conviction that every judgment deserves a performance.

How many languages does Bruno Tonioli speak?

• Five, according to the BBC: Italian, English, Portuguese, Spanish and French.
• A practical lineup for someone who has judged on British and American television.

Is Bruno Tonioli a trained dancer?

• Yes — he was a working dancer before television; Heart’s profile says he left Italy at 18 to perform in Paris.
• That physical discipline later became the theatrical judging style viewers know.

What this means: Tonioli’s Italianness is not styling — it is the foundation of the act, from the way he speaks to the way he moves.

Career timeline

• 1955 — born in Ferrara, Italy (TV Insider)
• Aged 18 — left Italy for Paris to perform (Heart)
• 2004 — joined the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel (BBC)
• 2005 — joined Dancing with the Stars (Wikipedia)
• 2012 — published the autobiography “Bruno Tonioli: My Story” (TV Guide)

The pattern: Tonioli spent years in the dance world before television made him a household name, and he has stayed in the judges’ seat ever since.

What’s confirmed, what’s still unclear

Confirmed facts

• Born 25 November 1955 in Ferrara, Italy (IMDb)
• A permanent Strictly Come Dancing judge since 2004
• In a long-term relationship with Jason Schanne

What’s unclear

• Whether he has permanently left Britain’s Got Talent — no official confirmation has been published (Independent Talent)
• His exact net worth, which varies from outlet to outlet
• His legal marital status after the 2012 commitment ceremony

In his own words

A few fragments have shaped how the public reads Tonioli — his own lines and one from a colleague.

“I’ve had a wonderful time…”

Bruno Tonioli, on his Britain’s Got Talent run

“He’s my rock…”

Bruno Tonioli, on Jason Schanne

“He’s a fantastic addition…”

Simon Cowell, on Bruno as a judge

What this means: even the fragments fit the same man — theatrical on stage, loyal underneath.

The takeaway

Bruno Tonioli built a career by refusing to be subtle, and the uncertainty around his Britain’s Got Talent status fits the pattern: even his exits make noise. The confirmed biography — Italian dancer, two decades on Strictly, a stable relationship — is stronger than any tabloid guess about his bank balance. The 2024 exit story, by contrast, is still missing an official signature. For UK entertainment media and BGT fans, the choice is clear: keep treating the departure as a report until ITV or Tonioli confirms it, or spend another series watching a farewell that never quite airs.

Frequently asked questions