Len Goodman was lauded by the solid of Strictly Come Dancing throughout Saturday night time’s launch present.
Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman, Anton Du Beke, Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and others have been among the many stars who shared their reminiscences of the beloved icon, who misplaced his battle with bone most cancers earlier this yr on the age of 78.
Claudia, 51, opened the tributes with the Strictly host telling the viewers: ‘He was a part of Strictly Come Dancing from the very starting and he was essential to the present. He meant a lot to all of us and we might prefer to share a few of our favorite reminiscences of Len with you.’
Tess, 54, went on to say he was a ‘true gentleman’. She added: ‘He was simply so good natured, so heat and the Len that you just noticed on TV, was the Len you noticed in actual life. There was no separation.’
Shirley Ballas, 63, described Len as a ‘private pal’ and somebody who was ‘liked and revered everywhere in the world’.
Tributes: Len Goodman was lauded by the solid of Strictly Come Dancing throughout Saturday nights launch present

Opening up: Strictly hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly led the best way telling their fond reminiscences of their former colleague
Craig, 58, referred to as Len one his ‘finest pals’ including he would have prefer to have stated ‘goodbye’ to the late entertainer.
‘I do not suppose I will meet anybody as humorous. He was an individual that basically made different individuals smile. I adored our little arguments, and that is what kind of bonded us and it gave us a very implausible friendship.
‘Should you’d ask me was Len one in all your finest pals, I might say, completely. I might like to say goodbye to him,’ the choose stated.
Anton, 57, recalled Len being type and an incredible pal.
He stated: ‘He lived a life and he introduced all that have to the present. He’d let you know whenever you have been dancing awfully, however he did it in such a pleasant method, you did not thoughts.
‘Len is someone you’d wish to have as a pal and I used to be lucky sufficient to have Len as a pal for a few years.’
He added: ‘There is a music by Matt Monroe and the music is ‘I will solely miss him once I consider him’ however I consider him on a regular basis.’
Followers flocked to X – formally generally known as Twitter to precise their disappointment and gratitude to the dancing present for mentioning the legendary head choose.

Humorous: The transferring tribute featured clips of Len’s memorable moments on the present, with most of the clips exhibiting the humorous mans witty one liners

Heartbreaking: Craig 58, referred to as Len one his ‘finest pals’ including that he would have prefer to have stated ‘goodbye’ to the late entertainer

Fond reminiscences: ‘I do not suppose I will meet anybody as humorous. He was an individual that basically made different individuals smile,’ he stated

Seven: After 12 years of Strictly, Len walked away in 2016 and was changed as head choose by pal Shirley Ballas, who remains to be in that function right this moment





Unhappy: Followers flocked to X – formally generally known as Twitter to precise their disappointment and gratitude to the dancing present for mentioning the legendary head choose.
One wrote: ‘I believe they need to rename the glitter ball trophy, the Len Goodman trophy.’
A second penned: Oh the Len Goodman tribute has damaged me’ adopted by some unhappy face emojis.
A 3rd stated: ‘so emotional…what an outstanding human being Len Goodman was.’
The tribute featured clips of Len’s memorable moments on the present, with most of the clips exhibiting the humorous mans witty one liners like: ‘You floated throughout the ground like butter on a scorching crumpet’, ‘That was a mango of a tango’ and ‘I am gonna go house and pickle me walnuts!’
The much-loved head choose had been in a hospice in Tunbridge Wells in Kent following a brief sickness with bone most cancers.
He died peacefully in April, simply six months into his retirement, and would have turned 79 the following day.