Bruno Tonioli will spend Christmas on a beach.

Bruno Tonioli

Bruno Tonioli

The 'Strictly Come Dancing' judge has jetted off to "the tropics" and ditched the traditional festive "trimmings" every year since his mum and dad passed away and now doesn't bother even putting up a tree over the festive season.

Asked what he'll be up to on December 25, the 61-year-old star revealed: "Since my parents died I'm always in the tropics. I love the sun and swimming and I just love the warmth and the colour of the sea. It is like rebooting the system. And, no, I don't miss all the trimmings. Done it, been there, bought the cake."

While Bruno is sipping fruity cocktails on a sandy beach in an exotic place, viewers will see him on the 'Strictly' Christmas special which airs on BBC 1 on Christmas Day.

He'll also grace screens on Boxing Day (26.12.16) as the host of 'West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic,' a documentary about the making of the hit iconic dance musical, and quipped it has influenced him since before he was born.

He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I was practically a foetus when it was made, darling. The images of the dancing that;s the thing that stuck in your mind. like nothing I'd ever seen before."

Meanwhile, the professional Italian dancer - who has been a judge on 'Strictly' since it began 12 years ago - shocked fans by admitting he doesn't know if he'll return to the ballroom and latin show next year because he isn't "under contract" and isn't ready to make his decision yet.

He said: "Am I tempted to leave? I don't know.

"Anyway, I'm not under contract with the BBC and where 'Strictly' is concerned, conversations only start around May or June. Before that, everybody is so exhausted, nothing will be said or done until the end of spring."