Shirley Ballas feared something was wrong with 'frail' Len last time they met

26 April 2023 , 13:42

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Shirley Ballas feared something was wrong with 'frail' Len last time they met

Shirley Ballas has said she knew something was wrong with Len Goodman a year ago.

The Strictly Come Dancing legend passed away over the weekend from bone cancer with Shirley appearing on Loose Women this lunchtime to pay tribute to her friend, trainer and fellow Strictly star.

Shirley stepped in as head judge on the BBC Latin and ballroom show, following Len's decision to step back from the show. He went on to appear on the US version, Dancing With The Stars, before he quit the role last year.

The dancer and TV personality - who worked alongside Len for a number of years and remained good friends - has recalled how she didn't think things were right with Len a year ago, when the pair met up for what would be the last time.

Shirley paid tribute to her friend and colleague Len (ITV)

Speaking on Loose Women, she said: "I think it's very difficult for all my particular industry because I separate Strictly and Dancing With The Stars. 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.

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"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 was just so wonderful."

Shirley recalled the last time she saw him, when she flew to the United States to see her son.

Len was an original judge on Strictly (BBC)

"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, even though he had got quite frail, I thought, because I hadn't seen him in a while," she said.

Detailing their final meeting, she added: "He was still full of humour. I kind of felt like he didn't look the best that I had seen."

However she didn't say anything at the time, as everyone in the dance industry keeps things at close quarters.

Shirley said Len had some great advice for her over the years, including how to deal with trolls.

"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," she shared of the advice he gave her throughout her life.

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

Jasmine Allday