Could Bruno Tonioli follow Len Goodman out of the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom?

He’s the flamboyant Strictly judge famed for his arm-waving, hip-swivelling critiques of the contestants’ dances.

So you’d never guess Bruno Tonioli is actually exhausted – he’s flying back and forth twice a week to judge both Strictly Come Dancing here in the UK and Dancing With The Stars in America.

“I feel like Judy Garland [in The Wizard Of Oz]: ‘Where am I? What am I doing? Who am I seeing?!’ It’s 10 weeks of jet lag, my darling,” he says. “It never gets better, but we soldier on. All you can do is save your energy as much as you can for the shows and just get used to it so it becomes a normal way of being.

“I’m high on adrenaline for the shows. As soon as the Strictly results show is over, I literally storm out of the studio, get in my car, come back home, wind down, have a bath, have a cup of tea, then prepare my stuff and get on a flight to Los Angeles the next day.

“I have to drag myself to the gym in LA before I come back here, because it’s 11 hours on a plane twice a week, so I have to get some circulation going.”

Bruno does an impressive job of hiding his tiredness thanks to his famously impassioned scoring.

The feisty Italian’s flailing arms never fail to entertain the audience or give Head Judge Len Goodman cause for amusement.

But Len’s been sitting next to Bruno for 14 series of Strictly and is more than used to his antics. This is, of course, Len’s last-ever series, and Bruno admits he’ll miss his colleague.

“It’s Len’s decision to stop doing the UK show, but there is only so much you can take on,” he says. “I have to respect that. There is a point where you say: ‘Okay, hold on a second.’ None of us can go on for ever. I doubt I’ll be there for the 20th series. Just the flying is driving me crazy. I always take it one season at a time and then take stock and see what’s happened.”

Once Len’s gone, Strictly will need a new Head Judge. How about it, Bruno?

“No, absolutely not! It doesn’t suit my personality,” he admits. “That absolute power, that dictatorial role doesn’t sit with who I am. I think the public should be the Head Judge.”

As the show’s Halloween special arrives, Bruno has a warning for viewers – they have to back their favourites by picking up the phone.

“Nobody is safe. More than ever this season it is important that you vote for your favourite to keep them in the contest, because the margin is negligible,” he explains. “I can guarantee that this year it is going to get worse because they are all very good.

“Many times, whoever ends up in the dance-off are not actually the people who are at the bottom of the leaderboard with the judges. We get the blame, but I say: ‘Hold on a second, mate. Don’t vote? Don’t moan!’

“I do love Strictly Halloween. It gives the creative team so much scope. We don’t want to upstage the contestants with our outfits… though maybe Craig [Revel Horwood] will. He always jumps at any occasion to get into drag.”

As well as the costumes, it’s the footwork Bruno is interested in – and he’ll be keeping a very close eye on his tip for the glitterball trophy, BBC sports presenter Ore Oduba.

“Ore’s jive [in week four] was something else! I have never seen anything like it so soon in the series,” praises Bruno. “His timing is exquisite and his footwork quite fantastic. He is the one to watch, I am telling you!

“But Danny Mac is right up there too. We’ve had lots of hot guys on the show over the years and he was on fire as Zorro… Oh jeez! Showing his blade in its full glory.”

One contestant who hasn’t made it to Halloween, through his own choice, is Will Young, who quit the show for ‘personal reasons’.

“I would have loved Will to stay,” confesses Bruno. “I liked the quirkiness and unexpected twists in the stories he told. It wasn’t just a dance; it was like a mini-play. I’m going to miss that – and his dancing wasn’t bad either.”

There was drama the Saturday before Will’s exit when he contradicted Len’s assessment of his dance before swiftly apologising. Does Bruno object to the celebrities answering back?

“No, I don’t mind at all. They haven’t really done it with me. But you can’t really disagree with what I say, can you?” he grins. “It comes out so fast, it’s like a bombardment! It’s shock and awe. But, of course, they’re entitled to talk back. I think it’s entertaining when they do so.”

With his 30 years’ experience in the industry, it would be hard to argue with anything Bruno says. In his heyday, he choreographed the likes of Freddie Mercury, Bananarama, Tina Turner and the Rolling Stones, and performed in pop videos for Elton John and George Michael.

He even made a memorable appearance with Kinks legend Ray Davies wearing just a towel in the movie musical Absolute Beginners, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

“Yes, I had to expose myself to Ray Davies,” he laughs. “That was my last performance
as a dancer. I wasn’t actually naked, I had a jock strap, but I still gave him an eyeful!”

While Bruno – who admits he isn’t sure if former host Sir Bruce Forsyth will be back for this year’s Christmas special (“We don’t know yet, as it depends whether he’s up to it”) – would love to work with contemporary stars, he confesses that, at 60, it’s probably unlikely.

“If I worked with Lady Gaga now I would give myself an injury trying to out-Gaga Gaga!” he laughs. “I wouldn’t fit in with the music industry these days. My personality is too big!”

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