Simon Cowell wants Strictly rival Bruno Tonioli to be one of his talent show judges
X FACTOR boss Simon Cowell is trying to poach Strictly rival Bruno Tonioli, The Sun can reveal.
The music mogul wants, 63, the Italian to become a judge on one of his talent shows following his success on the BBC1 dance series.
And Bruno, who is currently on holiday in Barbados with his long-standing pal, confirmed Simon, 59, has made an approach.
A TV insider said: “Bruno is hugely popular with viewers and Simon appreciates getting him on board will be a huge coup.
“Convincing him to leave Strictly will be tough but he knows Bruno would consider if the offer excites him.
“He also knows Bruno could majorly improve his salary should he switch channels.”
Bruno, who has been a Strictly judge for 16 years, currently earns between £200,000-£250,000 thanks to his role on Strictly and making documentaries on the BBC.
He also bumps up his income significantly by appearing on US dance show Dancing With The Stars at the same time as Strictly, a job share he admits to finding increasingly tough.
His US contract runs out in 2020 which is when Simon has the best chance to poach him.
Speaking to The Sun, Bruno admitted Simon has pushed to secure his services.
He said: “I’ve told him to come up with something new and we’ll think about it.
“We have discussed these things for a number of years but it has never come to anything concrete.”
The Strictly star also admitted Simon had spoken to him about his new BBC dance series The Greatest Dancer, which kicks off next month, but the timing of the show put him off signing up.
He said: “You need to be careful when you’ve been on Strictly for 14 weeks, to then go on another show with just a month’s gap for another 10 weeks would be tiresome of the viewers.
“If he made a US version, I’d be more likely to do that.”
Despite X Factor’s ratings nosediving in recent years, Bruno still believes Simon is capable of developing another hit.
He said: “Simon has a got a great capacity to reinvent and he’s got a good eye for what people want.
“I would never discount his ability to come up with something.”