Simon Cowell addresses Bruno Tonioli 'axe' days after Britain's Got Talent final

Despite claims that Britain's Got Talent would be axing Bruno Tonioli, Simon Cowell has now stepped out of the shadows to set the record straight. Talking to Jamie Theakston and fellow BGT judge Amanda Holden on their Heart FM breakfast show, Simon delivered a blunt "no" to the suggestion that Bruno had been fired.

Jamie began: "I'm gonna read you a headline from one of the papers today Simon... 'Britain's Got Talent set to drop judge Bruno'... what [part] of that isn't truth?" A bemused Simon exclaimed: "I don't know where all this stuff comes from!"

He went on to add that he "would not replace Bruno" and the only reason viewers might see another judge is if his schedule made it impossible for him to appear on the show. "I spoke to the producers literally two weeks ago about a scheduling issue with Bruno," he elaborated.

Simon added that Bruno may have a stand-in as he'll be in America during some of the auditions for the next series.

He added: "I love Bruno on the show. I think he's brilliant!" Simon then added: "Can I be honest with you? I wouldn't change this judging panel... it's like your show, your number one. So why would I change BGT?"

His comments come after Simon and Bruno appeared to have a stormy conflict over the latter's critique of an act during BGT's semi-final last week. Contestant Ace Clvrk's soulful rendition of Billie Eilish's What Was I Made For? was critically assessed by Bruno, but Simon exclaimed to his co-star: "I don't understand a word you're saying."

"Bruno, when you said it was a risk, what did you mean?" he asked, puzzled.

The Italian judge fired back that his song choice had been a "female" one which "changes tonality" and could have proved challenging for Ace to sing, although he praised his efforts.

Despite the explanation, many Twitter fans felt the tension could have been cut with a knife, with some branding Simon's reaction "rude" and "uncalled for".

Meanwhile, Bruno appeared to have been brutally booed by some members of the BGT live audience last week.

Although it has been suggested that fans were merely yelling out his name, some remained convinced that he was being heckled.

"Is Bruno just getting booed every time he speaks, even if it's positive?" one bemused viewer tweeted.

However, the vast majority of the judge's comments were positive, encouraging and motivating, leading many to declare him likeable.

Meanwhile, imagining the possibility of losing Amanda Holden, Simon emotionally declared back on the radio show: "It won't be easy to replace you... I just want to say publicly thank you... we've had fun, haven't we?"

Amanda joked: "I've had 18 years of you looking after the mortgage... thank you!"

Credit: Tune in to Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden weekdays from 6:30am – 10:00am, also on Global Player*