Bruno Tonioli is the flamboyant Italian judge best known for his hilarious outbursts on Strictly Come Dancing. The 63-year-old dancer is also on the panel on America's Dancing With The Stars, proving just how valuable his expert opinion is. But it's not all Foxtrots and Rumbas for Bruno. In 2012, the BBC star launched his own range of Italian inspired cookware on QVC and also released his autobiography, My Story, in which he discussed everything from his working class parents to the conservative Catholic town he was raised in and of course his experiences living in London during the 1980s. But what is Bruno's net worth? We investigated ahead of Saturday night's episode of Strictly.
What is Bruno's net worth?
When the BBC released its salary figures last year, Bruno was revealed to be in the £200,000 to £249,000 bracket. But Strictly aside, Bruno also has a role across the pond on Dancing With The Stars, where he reportedly earns $30,000 per episode. According to celebritynetworth.com, the judge's net worth currently stands at a whopping $10million, or £7,761,350.
Bruno's dance career
Fluent in English, Spanish, Italian and German, Bruno is something of a dance legend. After leaving home at 18 to pursue a career in dance, the star went on to appear in an Elton John music video. He has also choreographed for Hollywood royalty including Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney.
But Bruno's beginnings were humble. Hailing from Italian town Ferrara, the star was inspired to make the move into dancing after seeing the musical Cabaret an impressive eight times in a row. Bruno moved to Rome where he picked up dance lessons, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Bruno has also choreographed films including Ella Enchanted, The Gathering Storm, Little Voice, What a Girl Wants and The Parole Officer.
Bruno on Strictly
Bruno has been on the Strictly judging panel since the show's beginning in 2004, and is known for his passionate and often hilarious rants. However, speaking to BBC, Bruno admitted that he's not quite as energetic 24/7. The star explained: "The show is so glitzy, so glamorous – so, in a way, larger than life – and I think the only way to approach it is as an entertainment. Still put across a message and a point, but in a way that engages, makes people smile and entertains them. You want to pop out of the screen and draw them in."
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