Heard about Len Goodman? Are you a fan of his dancing skills? Born on 25 April 1994 in Farnborough, Kent was an English professional ballroom dance instructor and dancer. Goodman was raised in Bethnal Green, and later he moved to Blackefen, where he attended Westwood Secondary Modern School.
Lee Goodman was a member of his school’s cricket team. Goodman started his career as an apprentice welder in Woolwich for Harland and Wolff. He began dancing at 19 as therapy for a foot injury following his doctor’s recommendation.
Goodman chose to become a professional dancer who has won various competitions and retired in his twenties after winning several accolades and awards. Len won Carl Alan Award for his outstanding contributions to dance and British Championships at Blackpool. Goodman was the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, a dance reality show, from 2004 to 2016.
Alesha Dixon replaced Lee Goodman as the judge on the show’s panel of judges in 2016 after he departed from the show. Following the success of the show, Goodman became the sole head judge of the American adaptation of Strictly Come Dancing titled Dancing With The Stars. Goodman announced his retirement from the show in 2022 during Season 31 finale. Len stated he wants to spend more time with his family in Great Britain.
Goodman married Sue Barrett, his companion of several years, and the couple have one child together. Len ran a ballroom dance school located in Ken. The brilliant ballroom dancer left for his heavenly abode on April 22, 2023, in Royal Tunbridge Wells after a battle with bone cancer. Goodman suffered from prostate cancer in 2009 that got surgically treated in London. Len enjoyed an estimated net worth of $18M.
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Len Goodman Controversy
The beloved ballroom dancer and celebrity judge sparked controversy when he referred to curry as foreign muck. Goodman appeared to live on BBC before the Platinum Jubilee pageant on Sunday alongside John Torode, the Australian – British celebrity judge, and Kristy Young, the celebrity host, as the group discussed the array of food that people will get to enjoy during the Jubilee. He sparked outrage and faced severe backlash from viewers after his comment on his grandmother’s thought of curry powder.
Goodman admitted that his grandmother referred to curry powder as ‘foreign muck’, and he was worried about the dish. The controversy began when Kristy asked the former ballroom dancer if he was a keen cook. To this, Goodman replied No, I’m Hopeless, and my wife is an excellent cook. He also stated my wife made Coronation Chicken yesterday for our tea, and I had never tried it before.
He openly admitted he didn’t have curry or curry powder ever, as his nan used to call it, foreign muck. This earned a laugh from the celebrity chef but backlash from the viewers. This was followed by John telling his story about growing up in Australia and how his grandmother taught him to cook.
This caused fans to demand an apology from Goodman and BBC. His statement received mixed responses from the viewers of the show; where some supported his decision while others opposed his statement.
Paulruk wrote Len Goodman appeared charming, remembering his nan’s statement about the curry and admitting to having Coronation chicken for the first time. Some fans also wrote that someone needs to inform Goodman that Chicken Coronation is a British dish that was prepared by British chefs for the coronation.
Some fans wrote how a dollop of old-fashioned British Empire xenophobia proudly admitted by Goodman on the segment of BBC. The statement received outrage as it appeared to be racist.
Some people also wrote people of the newer generation are sensitive. BBC has also apologized for the comment made by Goodman, stating if the comment offended someone, they are sorry. So, it wasn’t even an apology that further angered the public.
Goodman was also surrounded by controversy back when he was the judge on Strictly Come Dancing, where he dropped the f-bomb amid a critique of a dance performance by Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff. He later clarified the word he used was phwoar, which meant terrific. It was later cross-checked by BBC sound team, and they confirmed Goodman didn’t swear.
