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Bruno Tonioli talks BGT at the Together for Short Lives Ball
Strictly Come Dancing star Bruno Tonioli has been dating his boyfriend Jason Schanne for the past 14 years.
The ex judge, 68, who made waves two decades ago when he signed up to the BBC programme, is loved up with his younger partner, who tends to keep out of the spotlight. Jason is a model by trade, and originally lived in Michigan in the US.
Born in 1986, Jason is 31 years younger than Bruno – who was born in 1955 in Italy.
The pair have been dating since 2010, and enjoyed a commitment ceremony two years later in 2012. Now they split their time between their two homes – one in London and the other a £2.5million property in West Hollywood, California.
Jason, 37, has appeared alongside his beau at various red carpet events, but doesn’t seem to be active on social media – preferring to keep his head down.
Bruno Tonioli is loved up with his younger partner (Image: Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock)
Though Bruno doesn’t explain much about his personal life either, he has discussed his difficulty coming out in his small Italian village during an interview with The Mirror. Bruno said: “When I was 10, I knew there was something different about me. Everyone was football-mad but I just wanted to watch musicals and see art.
“It was frightening. I really WAS the only gay in the village. I was labelled 'the queenie guy' and 'the queer', which was the worst thing you could be told in Italy in those days.”
In a horror incident, he explained he was chased out of a nightclub by “jealous” boys brandishing a broken bottle, screaming slurs at him and pinning him up against a wall.
Bruno, 68, is in a relationship with his 37-year-old boyfriend (Image: Getty)
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Bruno added: “To my mum I was never gay. It was not in the realm of things my parents could compute. I was never even tempted to bring up the subject.”
He thinks his parents “knew” about his sexuality as he never had a girlfriend and men would turn up at his home – but he sensed they were “worried” about him.
“I don't think they were ashamed but I do think they were worried, especially about what other people would think."
English (US) ·