Cheryl Burke Remembers Late ‘DWTS’ Judge Len Goodman in Tearful Video
Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images, Photo by: Eric McCandless via Getty Images Reading Time: 2 minutes
Former Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Cheryl Burke took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to share her memories of the show’s late judge Len Goodman in an emotional video. DWTS is paying tribute to Goodman during this week’s show.
Cheryl Burke Remembers DWTS Judge Len Goodman
“Even though I’m not going to be in the ballroom tonight, I still want to be able to express how much Len Goodman meant to me, and the influence he had on my competitive career back even before Dancing with the Stars,” Burke said to start her video.
The dancer went on to say that Goodman made “such a huge impact” on her life, starting when he judged her as a teenage dancer competing in Europe. Burke said that when asked who her favorite judge was on DWTS, she always answered that it was Goodman.
Burke called Goodman “the face of ballroom dancing,” adding that he was “a huge part of the reason why Dancing with the Stars is a massive hit.” She said she appreciated the judge’s “tough love and no B.S. approach.”
During her time choreographing routines for DWTS, Burke said she would always ask herself, “Would I make Mr. Len Goodman proud? Does this routine I’m about to teach my celebrity have potential for Len to give us a 10?”
SEE ALSO: CHERYL BURKE ‘WASN’T INVITED’ BACK TO ‘DWTS’ FOR LEN GOODMAN TRIBUTE
The Show Is Paying Tribute to Goodman This Week
During Tuesday’s new episode of DWTS Season 32, the show will be paying tribute to Goodman, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 78. A number of former pro dancers will be returning to the ballroom for the tribute, including Maskim Chmerkovskiy and Mark Ballas.
The returning dancers will join this season’s pros, as well as Derek and Julianne Hough, to dance a routine choreographed by Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson, set to “Moon River.” The theme for this week’s show is “Most Memorable Year.”
In her video remembering Goodman, Burke said she believed that the late judge would give tonight’s tribute performance a score of 11 if he could. Be sure to tune in at 8/7c on ABC or Disney+.
