Len Goodman death: Strictly breaks silence and pays tribute to head judge of 12 years

Strictly Come Dancing has broken its silence on the sad death of Len Goodman. The dancer and presenter, who was head judge of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing for 12 years, died aged 78.

His manager revealed the TV legend died in a hospice from bone cancer. He was surrounded by family and died in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on Saturday night (April 22).

The team behind Strictly Come Dancing has since broken its silence on the passing of the much-loved dancer, dance coach and judge. This comes after a number of Strictly’s professional dancers, including Giovanni Pernice, paid tribute on their social media accounts.

In a tweet, a spokesperson for Strictly wrote: “To Len, a 10. Our thoughts are with your family and our hearts will always be with you.”

Attached to the tweet was a picture of Len during his Strictly days and a statement from executive producer Sarah James. The statement described Len as a family man and said the whole Strictly team was deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

The statement, posted on Strictly’s official Twitter account, reads: “Len was more than the head judge on Strictly. He was a beloved colleague and friend who meant so much to so many.

“He was supportive, honest and kind to all the couples who he judged on the Strictly dance floor and made everyone feel special. A true gentleman and a people person who could always be relied on to lift the mood with his quick wit or a ‘Len-ism’.

“His warmth and humour were not just reserved for on screen and the whole Strictly team are deeply saddened to hear of his passing. Above all he was a family man and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.”