Shirley Ballas fought back tears as she recalled the last hug she shared with Len Goodman.
The stern chief judge, 62, appeared on Loose Women on Wednesday to pay tribute to Len, who died in hospice on Saturday night after a short battle with bone cancer – just days before his 79th birthday.
Shirley said: “I think it’s really difficult for my whole industry, but I’ve known him since I was a child and we all loved Len. He was a big part of our life. He was an icon of humor and could make the rain disappear.
“He judged when I was on the court, later in my career he taught me more about the human mind. I’ll take it forever, he was just that great.”
Heartbreaking: Shirley Ballas fought back tears as she recalled the last hug she shared with Len Goodman
Big loss: Len died after a short battle with bone cancer – his fans had no idea he was ill
Shirley said her son Mark Ballas called Len “Uncle Len” as he has known him since childhood.
While visiting her son Mark, 36, on Dancing With The Stars last year, she noticed that Len looked “quite frail”.
Shirley said: “I was at the launch show last year and saw Len and then I got my last and final hug with him. Even though he had gotten quite thin, he wanted a hug.
“I felt he was not too good looking. We kind of knew about his health, but we’re close, so we’re protecting ours.”
She said of what Len taught her: “He said don’t take yourself so seriously, the audience knows a lot about dance. I really enjoy all the performances, it’s not just about going forward.
“He taught me a lot about how to pick yourself up when things are really bad. He has.”
Starring in the next series of Strictly, she added, before choking up, “I’m really excited. I don’t think I could ever fill Lens’s shoes, but I could handle my fluffy slippers.’
Predecessor: Shirley joined the show as head judge after the ballroom legend retired in 2016 (pictured with Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len and Bruno Tonioli).
Monday, Shirley appeared on Good Morning Britain just minutes before hearing his predecessor lens died.
Shirley was invited to the show’s talk about returning to the dance series later that year, just before Lens’ death was announced in a statement from his family.
Len was supreme judge of lovers BBC Dance show for 12 years from 2004-2016 with Shirley taking over a year later.
He was also a judge on Dancing With The Stars, which featured their son Mark, 36, as a professional dancer.
Appearing on GMB on Monday, Shirley addressed rumors she may not return to Strictly Come Dancing amid a pay dispute with the BBC and a spate of online troll attacks in recent years.
She said: “There was no dispute with the BBC about pay. We are in an existential crisis. This is absolutely not true. There is no raising, there is no fighting.
“We pay attention to the nurses [on strike] and the cost of living crisis. I don’t know where these leaks are coming from.’
It was revealed last week that the Strictly Come Dancing judges had reportedly resigned over their pay dispute with BBC bosses.
Shirley, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke are said to be seeking an 11 per cent pay rise ahead of the new season of the BBC dancing competition show.
But according to The Sun, they have accepted an offer of between 3 and 5 per cent, although Shirley told GMB there were no pay rises.
Shirley reportedly already makes £500,000, Motsi and Craig make £200,000 while Anton reportedly makes £180,000.
“There was a real deadlock between the judges and the Beeb on this matter, with neither side willing to back down for weeks,” the publication reported.
Fortunately, they achieved that goal and can now breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to the new series.
“The program just felt that curing a cost of living crisis and at a time when royalties were frozen could not justify an 11 percent increase.”
During the interview, Shirley also insisted that she would return despite online troll attacks over the past year.
She said: “You have to make decisions and make decisions. It lasted a minute after I trolled last year.
“People would write things. But this year I have a husband who manages both my social media and my son. I am optimistic and hopeful. But this year it will be filtered before it gets to me.”
Continue: The TV appearance came days after the Strictly Come judges reportedly quit amid their pay dispute with BBC bosses
Source: Daily Mail
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
