Shirley Ballas says Len Goodman was quite frail the last time she saw him

Shirley Ballas fought back tears as she remembered the last hug she shared with Len Goodman. 

The Strictly head judge, 62, appeared on Loose Women on Wednesday to remember Len, who passed away in a hospice on Saturday night after a short battle with bone cancer – just days before his 79th birthday. 

Shirley, who had known Len since she was nine-years-old, said the final time she saw him, she knew he was secretly battling with his health behind closed doors. 

The TV star visited her son Mark Ballas on Dancing With The Stars last year and remembered even though Len looked ‘quite frail’, he still beckoned her over for a hug. 

Of his loss, a heartbroken Shirley said: ‘I think it’s very difficult for all my particular industry because I separate Strictly and Dancing With The Stars.

Heartbreaking: Shirley Ballas fought back tears as she remembered the last hug she shared with Len Goodman

A huge loss: Len passed away after a short battle with bone cancer – his fans had no idea he was even ill. Shirley said he was ‘quite frail’ when she saw him in the US last year (pictured)

‘But I’ve known Len from a very small child and I have a lot of good friends in the industry and we all loved Len. 

‘He was a really big part of our lives and he was an icon and humour. He could make the rain go away and he was such a beautiful human being.

‘Of course later in my career I trained with him. He was probably responsible for you know, saying to me, “Shirley, you can take your work seriously, but stop taking yourself so seriously” because I was such a person that wanted to learn all about the technique. 

‘And he taught me more about the human spirit. So and I will take that with me forever. He’s was just so wonderful. He really was.’ 

Shirley said her son Mark called Len ‘Uncle Len’, as he had known him since he was a baby and she saw him for the final time when she flew to the US last year. 

‘I went to see the launch show last year when Mark decided he was going to do Dancing with the Stars and I saw Len there and I got my last and final cuddle with him there,’ she said. 

‘It was still even though it got quite frail. I thought because I hadn’t seen him in a while. 

‘He was still you know full of humour. “Come on over here” you know and he liked a cuddle. I kind of felt like he didn’t look the best that I had seen. As a philosophy in the dancing industry. We knew that everybody kept close quarters we don’t put it all out there. ‘ 

Dearly loved: ‘But I’ve known Len from a very small child and have a lot of good friends in the industry and we all loved Len,’ Shirley said 

Touching: Shirley told the panel: ‘He taught me more about the human spirit. So and I will take that with me forever. He’s was just so wonderful. He really was’

Last time: Shirley last saw Len when she visited her son Mark in the US (pictured with Charli D’Amelio) as he competed on Dancing With The Stars 

Predecessor: Shirley joined the show as head judge after the ballroom legend stepped down in 2016  (pictured alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len and Bruno Tonioli) 

Of what Len taught her she said: ‘He said don’t take yourself so seriously, the audience know a lot about dancing. I really enjoy all the performances, it’s not all about the forward walk.  

‘He taught me a lot about how when things go really low for you, pick yourself up. That’s what he did.’ 

Of starring in the next series of Strictly, she added before choking up: ‘I’m very excited.

‘I don’t think I could ever fill Len’s shoes but could my fluffy slippers on. He was always cheerful. He was extraordinary and will be great missed and every step I take on this new series I will be thinking of him.’ 

On Monday, Shirley appeared on Good Morning Britain just minutes before she learned her predecessor Len had died. 

Shirley had been invited on the show talk about returning to the dance series later this year, moments before Len’s death was announced in a statement from his family. 

Len was head judge on the much-loved BBC dance show for 12 years from 2004-2016, after which Shirley took over a year later.

He was also a judge on Dancing With The Stars, in which her son Mark, 36, starred as a professional dancer.   

Appearing on GMB on Monday, Shirley addressed rumours she might not be returning to Strictly Come Dancing amid a pay dispute with the BBC and a spate of online attacks from trolls last year. 

She said: ‘There was no arguing with the BBC about pay. We are in a cost of living crisis. It’s absolutely not true. There’s no pay rises, there’s no arguing.

‘We are vigilant about the nurses [on strike] and the cost of living crisis. I don’t know where these leaks come from.’

Last week it was revealed the Strictly Come Dancing judges had reportedly backed down amid their pay row with BBC bosses.

 Gone but not forgotten: Shirley wore a black dress with little red love hearts on and said the symbols were a tribute to Len 

Shirley, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke were said to be looking to receive an 11 per cent salary rise ahead of the BBC dance competition show‘s new season.

But according to The Sun they accepted an offer of between 3 and 5 per cent, although Shirley told GMB there were no pay rises. 

Shirley is reportedly already earning £500,000, Motsi and Craig earn £200,000, while Anton is believed to be on £180,000. 

‘There was a real stand off between the judges and the Beeb on this issue, with neither side willing to budge for weeks,’ the publication reported. 

‘Thankfully they reached this resolution and are now breathing a sigh of relief and able to look forward to the new series.

‘The show simply felt that curing a cost of living crisis, and at a time when the licence fee has been frozen, they couldn’t justify an 11 per cent rise.’

During the interview, Shirley also insisted she is going to make a return despite attacks by trolls online last year. 

She said: ‘You have to make choices and decisions. It took me a minute after last year’s trolling.

‘People would write things. But this year I have a man managing my social media as well as my son. I’m optimistic and hopeful. But this year it will be filtered before it gets to me.’

Moving forward: The TV appearance came days after Strictly Come judges reportedly backed down amid their pay row with BBC bosses

Shirley Ballas says Len Goodman was ‘quite frail’ the last time she saw him
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