Craig Revel Horwood has said he would be cancelled if he aimed his old Strictly Come Dancing insults at today's crop of contestants.
The 59-year-old made his name as the show's cattiest judge, telling celebrities their performances were "dull, dull, dull".
He likened Ann Widdecombe to a "dancing hippo", told Judy Murray that she "resembled someone who has been lobotomised" and informed DJ Scott Mills: "You are an exception to the rule that anyone can dance."
However, viewers of this year's series have noticed that Revel Horwood is tempering his criticism and offering kinder appraisals.
In an interview with Radio Times, he admitted that he has altered his approach and now tries to tell the truth "in a nice way".
"I have changed my style of judging. I was really harsh 20 years ago. When I look back, I think, 'Ooh, that's cutting'.
"It would now be classed as bullying, and then I'd be cancelled," Revel Horwood said.
But he insisted that his new approach is "not fear of being cancelled. It's just, how can I reach out to them and help them to improve? Rather than just saying, 'This is wrong, that's wrong'. I'm thinking more like a teacher than a judge.
"If the standard is low, I really haven't got anything to say except what's wrong with it. But this series there's been an awful lot that's right with everything.
"They're much more talented now than they used to be. Back then, we had snooker players and politicians, and it was pretty tough on people who couldn't dance. I was very direct. I do still say what's wrong, but you can wrap the truth in a nice way."
Anton du Beke, his fellow judge, agreed: "It was harsher in the old days. Craig couldn't get away with it now. He was absolutely brutal."
Revel Horwood said that he had never worried about a backlash from fans who believed he was being too mean and plans one day to write a book about the comments he has received.
"It will be hilarious. Over the years I've been keeping all these comments and so-called death threats from people who have five followers and no dance knowledge and I'm going to shame them," he said.
"They can't even string a sentence together. I often reply and say, 'Thanks for the opinion, but perhaps you would like to learn to spell before you tell me what you think, darling'."
BBC bosses have introduced new duty-of-care measures to protect contestants following the complaint made by Amanda Abbington about her alleged treatment in rehearsals.
Revel Horwood said that the professionals work their celebrity partners hard, and that is not going to change overnight because the drive to win is "embedded in their DNA".