Britain’s Got Talent faces new backstage row as Bruno Tonioli bags secret pay rise
A FRESH pay row is brewing on Britain’s Got Talent after Bruno Tonioli secretly bagged a wage rise to get him signed up for the new series.
That’s likely to alarm his fellow judges on the ITV talent show, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon, who threatened to walk ten months ago when they thought the former Strictly star would get a bigger salary than them.
BGT bosses and Simon Cowell, 64, managed to calm the storm by ensuring Italian dancer Bruno, 67, was on a much lower figure than the two female panellists, but all that could have changed.
A TV insider said: “The moment Amanda and Alesha get wind of this they will be asking some serious questions of the execs on the show.
“It’s nothing personal aimed at Bruno, both of his fellow judges love him and feel he’s fitted in brilliantly, and they know the show’s bosses aren’t about to give him a higher wage than them.
“But Amanda has been on BGT for 16 years and Alesha has clocked up 11 years, and there’s now the prospect of him bagging a pay deal that brings him close to them after just one series.
“Of course, Bruno brings with him all the stardust he accumulated during his time on Strictly in the UK and Dancing with the Stars in the US.
“But it’s still not a good look for a man to walk onto BGT and in his first year be almost level pegging with two women who’ve been a much-loved part of the fabric of the show for over a decade.”
Amanda, 52, and Alesha, 45, have both signed three-year contracts with BGT, while Bruno’s deal is reviewed annually.
His pay deal has been agreed in principle, but negotiations continue and the final terms of his contract have yet to be agreed and signed.
The team who create BGT will breathe a sigh of relief when everything is set in stone as they are now just weeks away from filming the audition stages in theatres, and the 17th series set to air in spring of next year.
ITV bosses will be particularly pleased as the Saturday night favourite, produced by Freemantle, remains one of their most-watched programmes when overnight ratings are added to catch-up figures.
A spokeswoman for Freemantle declined to comment.