{"id":13564,"date":"2017-06-22T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-22T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/churchill2021.co.uk\/len-goodman-at-72\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T10:11:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T10:11:17","slug":"len-goodman-at-72","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.themediapeople.co.uk\/churchill2021\/news\/other-news\/len-goodman-at-72\/","title":{"rendered":"Len Goodman at 72"},"content":{"rendered":"

Len Goodman of the BBC\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing is toe-tapping proof that it\u2019s never too late to try something new or take up a challenge.<\/em><\/p>\n

Goodman, who only retired from the hit programme last Christmas, was almost 60 when he was invited to audition for the role of judge on the prime time dancing show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have enjoyed all that I have experienced whether presenting, judging or\u00a0role playing; for me variety is the spice of life and I count myself very fortunate\u201d, says Goodman who is now 73.<\/p>\n

At an age when many are thinking of collecting their bus passes, Goodman picked up a scoring panel and became head judge alongside fellow experts Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel-Horwood. The trio have been part Strictly\u2019s line-up of judges since its launch in 2004 and their combined experience has helped make the show the success it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With his vast knowledge of ballroom and Latin dancing, insistence on the correct dance techniques, as well as some fifty years experience, Goodman was always going to be the one who really gave Strictly its authority- not to mention fun!<\/p>\n

His barrow boy twinkle and a deft catchphrase (who can forget \u201cpickle me walnuts\u201d and \u201cseveerrn\u201d), ensured that Goodman became a mainstay of the show for 14 seasons and charmed his way into the nation\u2019s hearts. \u00a0<\/p>\n

His compliments, though hard won, were well worth the earning. Remember when on Frankie Bridge and Kevin Clifton\u2019s foxtrot, in 2014, he said:\u00a0 \u201cyou floated across that floor like butter on a crumpet\u201d; and then there was, \u201cthat was a mango of a tango \u2013 delicious,\u201d on Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton\u2019s samba, 2015?<\/p>\n

Goodman\u2019s popularity was ensured and as Strictly took off, so did his TV career.<\/p>\n

When the format of\u00a0 Strictly sold to the States, Goodman was asked to join the show and he found himself working on the US version: Dancing on The Stars. As another TV hit was born, Goodman started to regularly commute to Los Angles. Eventually the commuting became too tiring and he had to step back. Though he now does few transatlantic flights, he is still very much part of the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all been a rather amazing success story, all the more so as Goodman did not initially want to be a ballroom dancer. At nineteen, the grandson of an East End barrow-boy was working as a welder and had dreams of becoming a footballer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have\u00a0 enjoyed team sports because of the camaraderie,\u201d says the sprightly pensioner.\u00a0 \u201cI have always\u00a0supported West Ham,\u00a0because when I was a child, the ground\u00a0was only one bus ride away from where I was brought up and so I was allowed to\u00a0go and watch\u201d. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A career as a dancer, never mind in showbiz, seemed as unlikely as \u201ca ten from Len\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had danced briefly before, mainly rock and roll as a teenager in the early 60’s but it wasn’t until I hurt my foot playing football that I took up dancing seriously.\u00a0 I went along the local dance school in Erith in Kent in 1965 as the Doctor had recommended dance as a form of exercise to strengthen the foot,\u201d chuckles Goodman. \u201cI also had a friend who attended who reliably informed me that there were lots of girls attending, so I didn’t need any further encouragement\u201d.<\/p>\n

And so he began his career in ballroom dancing. Goodman turned professional in his twenties and, often with Cherry Kingston, his first wife, danced his way to success, winning the Dual of the Giant, British Rising Stars, and The British Exhibition Championships an impressive four times, \u201cThe most prestigious was wining the British Professional Rising Stars in 1973 at Blackpool,\u201d says Goodman.<\/p>\n

Another highlight, albeit non dance, was winning the 2014 Churchill Awards for TV & Radio, which were judged by Esther Rantzen. \u201cIt was the first award that I have ever won, outside of the dance fraternity,\u201d says Goodman. \u201cIt was a total shock and an honour. The event took place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London and it was a pleasure to part of an eclectic mix of famous and interesting people\u201d.<\/p>\n

A competitive dancer\u2019s life is not long and so when Goodman hung up his dancing shoes, he took up\u00a0 teaching and judging, and eventually set up his own dancing school, Goodman Dance school in Kent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI always preferred to teach than dance as I found it so rewarding and I preferred teaching the social beginners,\u201d says Goodman.\u00a0 It was a decision he never regretted and it was only when he was offered the job of judge on Strictly, several decades later, that he eventually stepped down.<\/p>\n

His then long term partner Sue Barrett, a dance teacher, and now his wife,\u00a0 took over the running the school for him as Goodman stepped into the TV limelight.<\/p>\n

Yet despite all his success, he remains very downturn earth and un-phased by it all.\u00a0 \u201cMy proudest moment was marrying my Sue\u00a0 and being a father and granddad\u201d, he insists.<\/p>\n

His dancing background as well as parent and grand-parenthood, has meant that Goodman is very keen on a well-balanced diet, particularly one that includes fish and chicken, as well as a healthy lifestyle. \u00a0\u201cExercise as much as your time and body will allow even if it is a just a walk around the block,\u201d he says. Keeping the mind active is also important for longevity, he stresses, even if that means continuing to work \u2013 albeit in a reduced way. \u201cThe joy of keeping working is that you can have a day off and appreciate it. Once you retire you no long have that same feeling of\u00a0joy!,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Though he may have retired from Strictly, Goodman is unlikely to be donning a pair of comfy slippers and putting his feet up. Media appearances and work on the US \u00a0show will provide a few more challenges and keep him busy though these days, he has other things on his mind. \u201cMy biggest ambition,\u201d says Goodman, \u201cis to get a hole in one (playing golf) and spend more with my wife Sue and family\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

By Nicola Venning.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo credits: BBC\/GUY LEVY<\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Len Goodman of the BBC\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing is toe-tapping proof that it\u2019s never too late to try something new or take up a challenge. 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