“I honestly had no idea I’d do that in the moment.”

By David Craig

Published: Sunday, 16 April 2023 at 12:00 am


Britain’s Got Talent viewers were shocked last night (Saturday 15th April) when new judge Bruno Tonioli pressed his Golden Buzzer halfway through an audition, interrupting the act’s performance.

Tonioli was wowed by Ugandan dance act Ghetto Kids and decided to give them the coveted shortcut straight through to the live shows, but he wasn’t aware that the judges are supposed to wait until after the performance to hit the button.

This allows the act to finish their audition as planned before the golden confetti is unleashed, with the members of Ghetto Kids striving to complete their dance as it rained down around them.

Tonioli, who previously judged on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, explained the mishap (via OK!): “Alesha gave me a brief, but then I forgot everything she told me! I think that was obvious when I pressed my golden buzzer at the wrong time on the first day!

“They were like, ‘Here are the rules, you press it then, not then.’ But that went out the window. I honestly got caught up in the moment, forgot everything I’d been told and just reacted instinctively.”

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Dance troupe Ghetto Kids perform on Britain’s Got Talent after receiving a Golden Buzzer from Bruno Tonioli
ITV/Thames

Tonioli added: “I looked up, Simon was in stitches, Alesha looked shocked! But that really happened. I mean, it wasn’t planned. I honestly had no idea I’d do that in the moment.

“Anyway, Simon tells the crowd there’s no rules, to forget what they’ve been told and act badly behaved, so I listened! Come on, he’s the boss!”

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Tonioli was hired to replace David Walliams on Britain’s Got Talent, after the Little Britain alum made “inappropriate” comments about an act during a previous round of auditions.

He departed the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel during the pandemic when travel restrictions prevented him from appearing due to a commitment to US version Dancing with the Stars.