Bruno Tonioli, 68, visited Bruce Forsyth’s ashes to pay his respects to the late star during Britain’s Got Talent filming at the London Palladium

Bruno Tonioli visited Bruce Forsyth’s ashes to pay his respects during the filming of Britain’s Got Talent, the Mail on Sunday reports.

Mr Tonioli, 68, became close to Sir Bruce when he was a judge on Strictly Come Dancing – so when BGT was filming at the London Palladium he took the opportunity to visit him.

Sir Bruce’s ashes were placed under the stage of the famous West End venue a year after his death from pneumonia in August 2017.

It was the perfect resting place when he first hosted Sunday Night at the London Palladium in 1958 and performed his one man show there for the last time in 2015.

He died at the age of 89 after a career of more than 70 years. He presented Strictly Come Dancing for 15 years, with Mr Tonioli as a judge from 2004.

Tonioli said Bruce Forsyth noticed something in him when they first started working together and thanked him for helping his career

Now the Italian is playing the same role in BGT, which returned to ITV last night for its 17th series.

He made his first appearance on the panel alongside Simon Cowell, 64, Amanda Holden, 53, and Alesha Dixon, 45, last year following the departure of David Walliams, 52.

The final auditions in London took place at the London Palladium at the beginning of this year.

Speaking at the launch of the latest series, Mr Tonioli said he had Sir Bruce to thank for his successful career on British television.

He said the all-round entertainer noticed something in him when they first started working together, so it was natural to go and pay his respects.

‘Bruce was just downstairs. We went to him. I loved working with him.

‘It was him who took me from the last chair to the first chair in Strictly. At the first show I was on the other side and at show two I was moved.

‘He felt I had something. That’s why I loved him.’

Mr Tonioli left strictly five years ago. Only now, he says, can he look at it.

He said: ‘I never watched Strictly when I was on it. The show is fantastic. What they’ve done really well is not try to do what we did. They do it their way.

‘I’m looking at it now. I told (current judges) Shirley (Ballas) and Anton (du Beke) to just be you. I’m still very friends with all of them. When we see each other, it’s just like old times.

‘With Britain’s Got Talent you get a range of talents. You can’t compare anyone, everyone is unique.

‘It was strictly different, everyone had to tick the same boxes. You can’t compare the shows with each other.

‘In this show I don’t feel like I’m judging, I’m participating.’

Tonioli is back in the new series of Britain’s Got Talent alongside Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell