Strictly’s Arlene Phillips left ‘truly broken’ by Len Goodman’s death

Dame Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman were the best of friends when they judged on Strictly Come Dancing together – and Arlene has admitted her world fell apart after the devastating news that he’d died on Saturday aged 78.

The star, who previously said she’d turned down an opportunity to be contracted to the show no fewer than three times before Len stepped in and changed her mind, said they were the “perfect pairing”.

In an emotional tribute sent out to almost 100,000 Twitter followers, she wrote: “My heart is truly broken hearing the news today about @GrumpyLGoodman.

“Almost 20 years ago we were both invited to the making of the original pilot of @bbcstrictly. We made a pact that afternoon we would agree to do the show only if we could both do it “

She continued: “On screen and off screen we worked together, me forever excitable and Len being cool and casual. The perfect pairing.

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“We always kept in touch. My condolences to his beautiful wife Sue and his family.”

Then she attached a series of pictures, adding: “Len thanks for the happy memories, some of which you can all enjoy in these photos!”

The pictures she shared showcased the affectionate friendship she had with him, from posed photos for Strictly to candid snapshots of the pair enjoying ice creams while out on the town.

Arlene previously revealed that she credits Len’s camaraderie with her as the reason that she ended up on one of the BBC’s biggest primetime TV shows in the first place.

On the Celebrity Search Engine podcast, she admitted she’d turned down the opportunity three times before finally agreeing to a pilot, and that when she arrived, the atmosphere had been “chaos”.

“Len turned to me and he said: ‘I don’t know about this, are you going to do it?’, and I said, ‘I don’t know, are you?'” Arlene recalled.

“He said, ‘I’ll do it if you do it!’ and then we both agreed to do it!”

It turned out to be one of the “most exciting” experiences she’d ever had in her life – and her on-screen friendship with Len was enormously popular, never failing to draw in the crowds.

Len had been the head judge for 12 years before leaving the show in 2016.

Tragically, he died in a hospice over the weekend in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, ending a brave battle with bone cancer.

The 78-year-old has since been honoured by numerous Strictly stars as well as on the show’s official account itself, which declared him a “true gentleman” and “a beloved colleague and friend who meant so much to so many”.

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