Strictly and hunt for new head judge BBC haven’t found a new Goodman... or woman HIS REPLACEMENT CHOSEN IN 2017
He said: “I’m not a star. I’m just part of a dance programme. I have no feeling of being a celebrity at all. I’m just Len Goodman who was a dance teacher, I’m just a geezer.
“I’ll be walking along and someone will say, ‘My mum loves you, can I have a selfie’, I say, ‘Yes’, it’s weird.
“We’re all on this planet doing our jobs the best we can.”
But what Len cannot stand is people getting above themselves and think they are better than others.
He said: “I’d hate someone to say I bumped into Len Goodman and he said, ‘No’ he’s so stuck up. That would be awful for me!”
One of Len’s many joys of working on Strictly was rubbing shoulders with Bruce Forsyth, 88, who left the show in 2013 after nine years.
Len has huge admiration for Brucie who he called “the heart of the show”. He said: “I grew up watching Bruce Forsyth. There I am, little Len on a Saturday night walking into the BBC studios and I’m shaking hands and having a chat with Brucie.
“It beggars belief, you can’t believe it. Just brilliant!
Favourite
“He deserves retirement after 70 odd years. I’ve had enough after 12, I’m exhausted.”
Luckily, Len still has the energy to stand in for Paul O’Grady on Radio 2.
He said: “When they asked me to do it I said I’d only do it if I could play my own choice of music, I don’t want to play someone else’s playlist. I love music. Sony asked me to do a CD of my favourites which was a no-brainer. I grew up listening to Sinatra, Ella and Peggy Lee. . Eva Cassidy had such a purity inn her voice. But probably my favourite ourite female singer was Ella Fitzgerald. rald.
“I was lucky enough to see her a couple of times at the Festival Hall. Last year in America I saw Johnnyohnny Mathis and he’s still terrific.”
Len will be judging Dancingg with the Stars in the US for ten weeks next year, finishing in April.
Then he can play golf with mates and enjoy family days out and a traditional Sunday lunch.
Everyday pleasures for a mann who insists with typical modesty: “I’m still Len Goodman from Bethnalthnal Green.” But millions would agree he is so much more. Ed said: “Beyonce is really good at singing and dancing and I’m not really good at either. I don’t know what happened during the cha cha. My inner Beyonce just burst out. “I’ve always enjoyed being a bit camp but it was totally spontaneous. My kids were quite embarrassed. They say that dads are supposed to be embarrassing and I’m substantially over-achieving in that department.” The public think Strictly has changed him but his wife, Labour MP Yvette Cooper, would disagree. He said:“It’s a bit frustrating when people say, ‘You’re so different. I never knew. It’s good to see you’re a human being’. I’ve aways been up for a laugh and singing and dancing.” But he admits the show has made him far more tactile as he showed recently at a Norwich City game. Ed said: “I said goodbye to someone and gave them a huge hug. They said, ‘What are you doing?’. I said, ‘I’m terribly sorry, but that’s what everyone on Strictly does’.” He recently told of his surprise at being kissed by judge Craig Revel Horwood, before appearing on the show. He is not ruling out a return to politics but only for the right reasons. He said: “Strictly touches people’s lives in a very direct way so it impacts on how I’m viewed walking down the street. But at a time when the world is in turmoil, having a bit of joy and making people feeling a bit better on a Saturday night is a good thing, right?”