‘DWTS’ Head Judge Len Goodman’s History With Dance
Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
Len Goodman has served as Dancing With The Stars‘ head judge for most of the show’s 31 seasons. Having countless fans around the world, and a historic background in the industry of dance, let’s take a deeper look on who the world-renowned judge is.
Len Goodman’s Legendary Background in the Industry
Goodman is a world-famous ballroom dancer, dance judge, and coach, who has appeared as head judge for DWTS. He became a professional ballroom dancer in his 20s and went on to win the British Exhibition Championships four times.
Goodman specialized in the form of a Ballroom called exhibition dancing. He has also been awarded the British Rising Star Award, the Carl Allen Award, and, most recently, a Lifetime Achievement Award. He also runs a ballroom dance school of his own in Dartford, England.
The 78-year-old is most notable for appearing as a head judge on Strictly Come Dancing and DWTS. His stint as head judge on the BBC One dance competition Strictly Come Dancing lasted from 2004 until 2016. Currently, he is the head judge on DWTS since 2005.
Goodman has been married twice in his life. He was first married to professional dancer Cherry Kingston from 1972 to 1987. In present day, he is married to dance instructor Sue Barrett. They tied the knot in 2012 after dating for 10 years.
He Once Battled Cancer While Filming DWTS
Goodman stays relatively private when it comes to his personal life despite being a well known face. While filming a past season of DWTS, he was secretly battling cancer while filming. He only told a handful of people that he was battling prostate cancer in 2009.
The head judge continued to work after treatment, instead of being absent during the season. According to reports, his cancer was not advanced to the point where it would be a life-or-death scenario. After getting surgical treatment in London, he is now cancer free.
That wasn’t the only time Len had a cancer scare though. In 2020 he opened up about having a mole removed from his forehead. During a guest appearance on Good Morning Britain, he got the mole checked after being advised to do so.
The mole turned out to be an early warning, which could have become something worse had it not been removed. Goodman insists he is perfectly healthy as of the moment and will continue to be head judge on DWTS.
