Bruno Tonioli takes over the tills in surprise supermarket visit

TV favourite Bruno Tonioli surprised Tesco colleagues, Gemma Gibson, 33, and Claudia Hylton-Livermore, 35, and customers in the Kensington store when he arrived ready to get stuck in to his first ever supermarket shift.

TV favourite Bruno Tonioli surprised Tesco colleagues, Gemma Gibson, 33, and Claudia Hylton-Livermore, 35, and customers in the Kensington store when he arrived ready to get stuck in to his first ever supermarket shift. Excited customers stopped in the aisles as Bruno, looking dapper as ever, turned his hand to stacking shelves, serving at the checkout and even helping a shopper push her trolley.

Tesco organised the treat to recognise and thank Gemma and Claudia, who have collectively worked at Tesco for over 28 years, for going above and beyond their jobs at work and in the community. The visit was part of the supermarket’s Christmas campaign, which aims to help its colleagues and customers enjoy the festivities with a series of helpful initiatives.

Gemma and Claudia were nominated by fellow colleagues for their excellent customer service, willingness to go the extra mile for both customers and colleagues, and their dedication to community work and charity support – including helping refurbish the local day centre for elderly residents, with fellow Tesco Community Champions.

Claudia said: “The last person I expected to help me at work today was Bruno Tonioli, I had to do a double take when he first arrived. It was such an amazing surprise, and having the extra pair of hands to help out was so much fun.” Gemma added, “The customers just loved Bruno and he’s welcome back anytime – he’s an excellent shelf stacker!”

Bruno said: “It was a pleasure to meet Gemma and Claudia and hear about all of the fabulous work they have been doing in support of their local community and charities. It’s clear that Gemma, Claudia and their colleagues work very hard, especially at Christmas, so I was delighted to be part of the team for the day. I hope the ladies and their colleagues enjoyed the visit as much as I did.”

ENDS