Len Goodman Leaving ‘DWTS’: Next Season ‘Going To Be My Last One’
Len Goodman, a longtime judge of Dancing with the Stars, has officially announced that he will be leaving the show permanently at the end of next season.
While recently promoting Strictly Come Dancing, the UK version of Dancing with the Stars, the 70-year-old judge opened up about his decision to leave.
“Next year… I’m not going to do the American show… I’ve got to have a bit of time off.”
Goodman went on to explain that his decision to leaveDancing with the Stars had a lot to do with the lack of time that he currently has available to spend with his family.
“I’ve got my wife… my son, my mother is still alive and she’s in hospital. I’ve had virtually no time to go and visit her. So, I just need a bit of time off to get on with a normal life… I’m doing the spring [season]… and that’s going to be my last one.”
Len Goodman, who has been a judge on Dancing with the Stars since 2005, feels that leaving at the end of next season would be the perfect time to do so since it is the 10th year and 20th season of the show.
He has been on the judging panel alongside Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inuba since the U.S. version of Dancing with the Stars debuted, but Len Goodman also worked on the U.K. version of the show one year prior as well.
Even though Len is walking away from Dancing with the Stars, he made it clear that he is definitely not walking away from Strictly Come Dancing. When it came to deciding between staying with the U.S. show or the U.K. show, Goodman opened up about his long-term loyalty to Strictly Come Dancing.
“Without ‘Strictly’ coming along 10 years ago when I was 60 years old… I would never have done anything… And so I feel a loyalty towards the BBC. I will do ‘Strictly’ as long as they want me… All the time they would like me to do it, I will be doing it.”
According to a report published by E! News, this news should not come as a surprise to ABC.
Reports claim that the team at ABC has known that Len Goodman leaving the show permanently could be a possibility, which is one of the main reasons why they decided to bring Julianne Hough on board.
[Image Credit: ITV]
