Len Goodman had a tearful moment as he said goodbye to ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ during this year’s live final on Saturday night (17 December).
After 14 series as the Head Judge on ‘Strictly’, Len announced earlier this year that he was stepping down from the panel, with this year’s final serving as his last ever live show.
He was visibly tearful as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman introduced a pre-recorded segment featuring past contestants and fellow judges, before giving a moving speech revealing what he’d miss most about the show.
After getting a standing ovation from the rest of the panel, he said: “I will miss everything about the show, I promise you.
“I’ll miss just turning up, and the anticipation of what’s going to occur. I’ll miss what I consider the three best judges on television, on any of these kinds of show. Being close to the band and the fabulous singers - I’ll miss you two.
“[‘Strictly’] is a big machine, and every cog needs to work to make the whole thing. I’ll miss every cog, because that’s what makes ‘Strictly’ into ‘Strictly’.”
Attention now turns to who’ll be replacing Len as Head Judge, with ‘Strictly’ pro Anton Du Beke, who has appeared in every series since the show launched, repeatedly being named as a potential contender.
Len has endorsed Anton as a possible successor in the past, as well as former pro dancer Karen Hardy, more recently insisting that he just wanted his replacement to have a history of ballroom.
During this year’s final, Len was particularly generous with his famous “10s from Len”, giving two of the three competitors top marks for their impressive showdance routines.