BRUNO Tonioli got to know Freddie Mercury while filming the video for his solo hit The Great Pretender. But the Britain's Got Talent judge remembers the late Queen star as nothing but genuine.
Bruno, 69, said the pair would talk for hours when he worked as a choreographer on the video in 1987. He said: "I feel very lucky to have met the man behind the legend."
Bruno instantly bonded with the showman and looks back fondly on their friendship, saying he was "lucky" to have known him.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742610876/articles/LFmf6aXGzV0z3J4tgHsys/E6h-8kT571742627102962.jpg]
Bruno shares his memories as he casts his judgment on a performer impersonating the Queen star during the ITV show tonight.
"He's amazing," Bruno says of Freddie.
"When you film a video like that there's a lot of time off and we would just talk for hours. All he wanted to talk about was opera and classical music.
"He was the most musically knowledgeable person that you could possibly ever meet. We talked forever but nothing about Queen or Fred."
He remembers one thoughtful gesture from the singer which really touched him.
"When we finished the video, the next day a messenger arrived at my front door with two seats for the Royal Opera House, and they were the best seats in the Royal Circle. He wrote a card thanking me for everything, which I've lost. I can't believe that!"
Freddie died in 1991 aged 45. Former Strictly judge Bruno, who appeared in Elton John's I'm Still Standing video and worked with stars including Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones and Bananarama, says the Freddie fans saw was very different to the one he knew.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742610876/articles/LFmf6aXGzV0z3J4tgHsys/3111117233.jpg]
"In a way, he was two people," Bruno explained. "Off stage he was highly intelligent, very knowledgeable, totally normal and very funny.
"But then when he would go on stage, it was like turning on a light bulb. He came to life in a different way. I really respected him for his musical knowledge and his love for the arts. Until I met him all I knew was what you'd see on screen, which was unbeatable, there was no one like him.
"But getting to know the person, the real him, I guess, you realise he's so much more."
Bruno takes the trip down memory lane after Mickey Callisto, a full-time performer who wants to become a household name, belts out Queen's Who Wants to L...
Bruno, 69, said the pair would talk for hours when he worked as a choreographer on the video in 1987. He said: "I feel very lucky to have met the man behind the legend."
Bruno instantly bonded with the showman and looks back fondly on their friendship, saying he was "lucky" to have known him.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742610876/articles/LFmf6aXGzV0z3J4tgHsys/E6h-8kT571742627102962.jpg]
Bruno shares his memories as he casts his judgment on a performer impersonating the Queen star during the ITV show tonight.
"He's amazing," Bruno says of Freddie.
"When you film a video like that there's a lot of time off and we would just talk for hours. All he wanted to talk about was opera and classical music.
"He was the most musically knowledgeable person that you could possibly ever meet. We talked forever but nothing about Queen or Fred."
He remembers one thoughtful gesture from the singer which really touched him.
"When we finished the video, the next day a messenger arrived at my front door with two seats for the Royal Opera House, and they were the best seats in the Royal Circle. He wrote a card thanking me for everything, which I've lost. I can't believe that!"
Freddie died in 1991 aged 45. Former Strictly judge Bruno, who appeared in Elton John's I'm Still Standing video and worked with stars including Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones and Bananarama, says the Freddie fans saw was very different to the one he knew.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742610876/articles/LFmf6aXGzV0z3J4tgHsys/3111117233.jpg]
"In a way, he was two people," Bruno explained. "Off stage he was highly intelligent, very knowledgeable, totally normal and very funny.
"But then when he would go on stage, it was like turning on a light bulb. He came to life in a different way. I really respected him for his musical knowledge and his love for the arts. Until I met him all I knew was what you'd see on screen, which was unbeatable, there was no one like him.
"But getting to know the person, the real him, I guess, you realise he's so much more."
Bruno takes the trip down memory lane after Mickey Callisto, a full-time performer who wants to become a household name, belts out Queen's Who Wants to L...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 22, 2025