Heavy/ABC DWTS is honoring Len Goodman during "Most Memorable Year" week.
During the October 24 episode of “Dancing with the Stars,” viewers will see a special performance created in honor of former judge Len Goodman. As DWTS fans know, Goodman was a long-time staple at the judges’ table before retiring for good at the end of season 31 in November 2022.
Sadly, Goodman died in April at the age of 78. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which had spread to his bones.
The tribute performance prepared for week 5 of “Dancing with the Stars,” which is also “Most Memorable Year” week, features current and former show pros. Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson choreographed it, and both Derek Hough and Julianne Hough will be among those performing in it.
As fans look back on Goodman’s time with the show, many may wonder about his family. Here’s what you need to know:
Len Goodman Was Married to ‘My Wonderful Sue’ When He Died
Missing Strictly? Len Goodman fails to raise a smile as he’s pictured out with wife Sue t.co/5DB9xHuLXl
The Guardian detailed that at the time of his death, the “Dancing with the Stars” veteran was married to his second wife, Sue (nee Barrett) Goodman. Len and Sue, who was a dance teacher, married in 2012.
Shortly after the two got married, Len told The Daily Mail, “I knew I’d found the woman I’d wanted to be with for the rest of my life so why not get married?”
He admitted he had considered himself to be a selfish person, explaining, “That doesn’t equate well for marriage.” However, Len added, “My Wonderful Sue got that out of me. I’ve become totally unselfish and I think that’s because it’s true love.”
Len and Sue first met at a golf club, and he asked her to manage the dance studio he had. They worked together platonically for a decade before their romantic relationship began.
At the time Len and Sue got married, they had already been together romantically for a decade. He proposed “on a whim,” and the wedding was a surprise event for all of their guests.
After their small wedding, Sue and Len visited the cemetery where his father had been laid to rest 17 years earlier. They laid flowers there before heading home. “Life is precious and relationships are precious. I’m a great believer in family,” he said of having lost his father.
At the time Len married Sue, his mother was 95 years old and lived near him. “My mum spoilt me rotten, now it’s my turn,” he said at the time.
The ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Icon Had Been Married Once Before
Len Goodman aged 12 & 25 with dance partner Cherry his 1st wife 😍
#LenGoodman
Prior to marrying Sue, Len had been married to Cherry Kingston. The eventual “Dancing with the Stars” judge met Cherry through the dance studio he was involved with at the time. The dance studio was owned by Cherry’s father, Henry Kingston, and The Sun noted Len and Cherry met in 1970.
Cherry and Len initially became dance partners, but their partnership turned romantic and they married in 1972. The pair competed professionally and won a handful of titles during the early years of their relationship.
After the death of Cherry’s father, Len took it over. It then became the Goodman Dance Academy. He later told the Daily Mail, “The dancing was the glue that really held us together.” The relationship apart after she met and got involved with a French multi-millionaire.
“I can’t blame her. He was a multi-millionaire… It wasn’t a tragedy, although it was a shock because I always thought I’d be the one who would shove off,” Len admitted of the end of his marriage. The couple divorced in 1987.
Len Goodman Had a Son
Len had one son, James, whose mother was a woman he had been involved with after the end of his marriage to Cherry.
According to The Sun, James was born in January 1981.
James also went into dance. He specialized in both ballroom and Latin dancing and taught at the Goodman Dance Academy.
Len’s son is married to his wife, Sophie, and they have a daughter, Alice, and a son, Dan.
Len was nearly 40 when his son was born, and he detailed, “He’s a marvelous boy. Children give life a reason to be — they make life.”