Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli was seen in tears after a moving tribute to his late friend and co-star Len Goodman aired on Dancing with the Stars, the American iteration of the dance series.
Tonioli, 67, has been a judge on the American series since 2005. He and fellow judge Goodman, who died from bone cancer aged 78 in April, joined the show the same year. By the time Goodman died earlier this year, they had been friends for almost two decades.
On Tuesday night (24 October), Dancing with the Stars paid homage to Goodman, who retired from the competition series last November, just months before his death.
In the tribute, after stars of the show shared their memories of working with Goodman, professional dancers performed a specially choreographed number to Henry Mancini’s “Moon River”. A recording of Goodman’s voice was heard at the end of the performance, saying: “All good things must come to an end.”
As the routine concluded, Bruno could be seen crying as fellow judge Carrie Ann Inaba comforted him. Members of the audience and the professional dancers were also seen in floods of tears.
In April, Tonioli said that he was “heartbroken” over Goodman’s death, adding that he would “treasure the memory of our incredible adventures and hundreds of shows we did together”.
Strictly Come Dancing stars paid tribute to “true gentleman” Goodman during the launch of the 2023 series in September, with host Tess Daly saying: “He was just so good-natured, so warm and the Len that you saw on TV, was the Len you saw in real life. There was no separation.”
Goodman was known for his colourful turns of phrase, such as “pickle me walnuts”, when describing performances that especially entertained him.
Tonioli in tears over Goodman tribute— (ABC)
His most recognisable contribution to both dance programmes was his triumphant pronunciation of the number seven when scoring dances.
As he held up a paddle with the number on it, Goodman would always say “se-VEN!”, emphasising the second syllable. It is a trait that has become synonymous with Strictly, and one that his fellow judges have inherited. Read about all of Goodman’s best onscreen moments here.
Goodman started dancing at 19, winning various competitions including the British Championships in Blackpool in his late twenties, after which he retired from professional competition.
He was a recipient of the Carl Alan Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to dance.
As well as his successful dancing and television career, he was also the owner of the Goodman Academy, a dance school in Dartford, Kent.
Beyond dance, Goodman regularly stood in for the late Paul O’Grady when the entertainer was away from his BBC Radio 2 show.
