English professional ballroom dancer, dance instructor, and adjudicator of dance competitions was Leonard Gordon Goodman. From the show’s launch in 2004 to 2016, he served as head judge on Strictly Come Dancing in the UK, where celebrities vie for the glitter ball trophy, and on Dancing with the Stars in the US, where he served in the same capacity from 2005 to 2022.
In Dartford, Kent, he also owned and operated a ballroom dance school. On April 25, 1944, Goodman was born in Farnborough, Kent. Growing up, he lived in Bethnal Green, East London, where his grandpa was a fruit and vegetable costermonger.
Goodman remembers being pulled around in his grandfather’s barrow as a kid, with the responsibility of ensuring the vegetables looked fresh. When he was six years old, his family relocated to Blackfen. He then went to Westwood Secondary Modern School and played cricket there. Know more about his health problems and diseases.
Len Goodman Health Problems
The cause of Len Goodman’s demise has been determined. Goodman’s manager, Jackie Gill, announced to BBC News that the former head judge of Dancing with the Stars passed away from bone cancer. At a hospice in Kent, England, Goodman passed away in April 2023.
Here is a Twitter post:
Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman dies ‘peacefully’ aged 78 after short illnesshttps://t.co/ehPZoX1z2Q
— GB News (@GBNEWS) April 24, 2023
When he passed away, his family was by his side. Since DWTS’s launch in 2005, the former professional dancer and dance instructor has served as one of the show’s original judges. He took a vacation in season 21 after 20 seasons as the show’s star but eventually made a comeback for seasons 22–28. He left the position formally in 2022.
Additionally, from 2004 to 2016, Goodman presided over the UK edition of Dancing With the Stars as a head judge. Outside of television, Goodman—who had previously struggled with prostate cancer—invested heavily in the Goodman Dance Academy, a dance school he founded in Kent, England. Sue Barrett, Goodman’s wife, and James, his adult son from a previous relationship, survive him. Cherry Kingston was Goodman’s former spouse.
Len Goodman Career
Goodman worked as an apprentice welder in Woolwich for Harland & Wolff. At the late age of 19, he began dancing on the advice of his doctor as a form of treatment for a foot injury. After winning the British Championships at Blackpool in his late twenties, Goodman went professional, took home several awards, and gave up dancing.
In addition to receiving the Carl Alan Award for his exceptional achievements in dance, he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Reality/Competition Program category for two consecutive years, 2006 and 2007.
From the show’s start in 2004 until 2016, Goodman served as chief judge on BBC One’s dance competition Strictly Come Dancing. Alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli, and Arlene Phillips, he was a panelist. Alesha Dixon and, subsequently, Darcey Bussell took Phillips’ spot. Goodman announced that he would be departing the program at the conclusion of the 2016–17 season in July.
The Christmas Day Special featured his farewell appearance. It was declared on May 9, 2017, that Shirley Ballas would take Goodman’s place as chief justice. Goodman was the voice of Professor in the children’s television series Auto-B-Good, which won five Emmy Awards in 2005. He was one of the UK’s commentators for the Eurovision Dance Contest in both 2007 and 2008.
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the journey and sinking of the RMS Titanic, PBS in the US aired a three-part BBC One program that Goodman hosted in March and April of 2012. It made use of his background as a welder at Harland and Wolff, featured surviving relatives in interviews, and gave viewers an overview of essential locations and memorials in the UK.
Len Goodman’s Dance Band Days was a BBC Four program that Goodman hosted in 2013. Additionally, he was the host of BBC One’s Len Goodman’s Perfect Christmas on Boxing Day. Goodman and Lucy Worsley hosted the three-part BBC Four series Dancing Cheek to Cheek in November and December 2013.
Goodman was one of many well-known figures who appeared in the two-part ITV documentary series Secrets from the Clink in August 2014. Goodman hosted the BBC One program Holiday of My Lifetime in October 2014. In February 2016, the show returned for a second season, and he appeared with many others, including Dan Walker and Carol Kirkwood.
Goodman and chef Ainsley Harriott hosted Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure, a ten-part series on foreign food throughout England and Wales, for the BBC in November 2015. He had never had Chinese, curry, or pasta before the episode.
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Goodman hosted a family game program called Partners in Rhyme in 2017; the show was based on Matt Edmondson’s Obama Llama game. Goodman was heard during a dancing storyline in October 2021 during his guest appearance on Channel 4 serial drama Hollyoaks. Denise Welch’s character, dance teacher Trish Minniver, was remembered.
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