What was Len Goodman's Net Worth and Salary?
Len Goodman was a professional ballroom dancer, dance coach and television personality who had a net worth of $18 million at the time of his death. Len Goodman died on April 22, 2023 at the age of 78. Goodman is best known for serving as head judge on the reality television dance competition shows "Strictly Come Dancing" and "Dancing with the Stars." Additionally, Goodman has hosted a number of television documentary series, and runs a ballroom dance school in Dartford, Kent, England.
Early Life
Len Goodman was born on April 25, 1944 in the Bethnal Green area of East London, England. When he was six years of age, he moved with his family to London's Blackfen area. Later, he went to Westwood Secondary Modern School in Falconwood. There, Goodman played on the school cricket team.
Career Beginnings in Dance
Atypically for most professional dancers, Goodman began dancing relatively late. He only began in the field at the age of 19 when his doctor suggested dance as a therapeutic activity to mend a foot injury. This was fortuitous, as Goodman soon went on to rack up titles at a number of professional competitions. Following his win at the British Championships when he was in his late 20s, Goodman retired from dancing.
"Strictly Come Dancing"
Goodman began a new phase of his career in 2004 when he became head judge on the BBC reality dance competition show "Strictly Come Dancing." The program features professional dancers who partner with celebrities to compete for a top prize. Primarily performing ballroom and Latin dances, the pairs are scored by a panel of judges. During his tenure on the show through 2016, Goodman appeared on the panel alongside Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli, Alesha Dixon, and Darcey Bussell. He made his final appearance on the Christmas Day special in 2016. The following year, Goodman was replaced as head judge by Shirley Ballas.
"Dancing with the Stars"
The year after he began his head judging role on Britain's "Strictly Come Dancing," Goodman became the head judge on the program's American adaptation, "Dancing with the Stars." Since then, Goodman has appeared alongside fellow judges Bruno Tonioli, from "Strictly Come Dancing," and Carrie Ann Inaba. For five seasons, he was also joined by judges Derek Hough and Julianne Hough. Goodman did not appear as a judge in seasons 21 and 29; however, he did present short educational segments on dancing styles in the latter season.
Further Television Career
Goodman has made numerous other appearances on television outside of "Strictly Come Dancing" and "Dancing with the Stars." In 2006, he competed on an all-singing and all-dancing version of the game show "The Weakest Link," on which he ended up winning the top prize. Later on, Goodman began hosting numerous documentary series. In the spring of 2012, he hosted the three-part BBC documentary series "Titanic with Len Goodman," which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the voyage and final tragic fate of the titular ship. In the series, Goodman interviewed descendants of Titanic survivors and highlighted sites in the UK pertinent to Titanic history. Next, in 2013, he hosted the BBC specials "Len Goodman's Dance Band Days" and "Len Goodman's Perfect Christmas," and co-hosted the three-part series "Dancing Cheek to Cheek" with Lucy Worsley.
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In 2014, Goodman participated in the ITV two-part documentary "Secrets from the Clink." Later that year, he began hosting the BBC documentary series "Holiday of My Lifetime," which features him and various celebrity guests traveling to beloved holiday locations in the UK. Goodman served as host of the series through 2016. During this time, he co-hosted the documentary series "Len and Ainsley's Big Food Adventure" with chef Ainsley Harriott, and hosted the "For the Love of Fred Astaire" episode of the documentary series "Perspectives." Among his other television credits, Goodman hosted the family game show "Len Goodman's Partners in Rhyme" in 2017. He has also been featured on such shows as "Football Focus" and "Who Do You Think You Are?"
Radio Appearances
On the radio, Goodman occasionally filled in for host Paul O'Grady on O'Grady's BBC Radio 2 Sunday afternoon music show. He appeared on the program between 2013 and 2018. Later, in 2021, Goodman hosted a few Bank Holiday specials on Boom Radio.
Health
Goodman was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2009, and subsequently underwent successful treatment in London. Later, in 2020, he underwent a minor surgery for facial melanoma.
Personal Life
In 1972, Goodman wed Cherry Kingston, whom he later divorced in 1987. Following this, he was in a long-term relationship with a woman named Lesley; together, they had a son named John. Goodman and Lesley eventually separated, with John going to live with his mother. In 2012, Goodman married his second wife, dance teacher Sue Barrett, whom he had been dating for over a decade.
Goodman was known to be an avid fan of the Premier League football club West Ham United. He was also a major fan of cricket, and participated in a celebrity cricket game in 2009.
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