Len Goodman, former head judge on , left behind a substantial fortune following his passing last year.
served as the head judge on the popular dance show for 12 years and was also a star on the US version of Strictly, known as Dancing with the Stars. His will, disclosed in June, revealed that his successful television career helped him accumulate a wealth of £4.1million, which included his Kent residence, his business enterprise, and personal belongings.
His company, Pleasurable Pastimes Limited, is set to be divided between his wife Susan and son James, both of whom are already directors of the firm. The remainder of his estate has also been equally distributed between his wife and son.
His death prompted tributes from high-profile figures including royalty and the Prime Minister at the time. Queen Camila, who had the pleasure of dancing with Len in 2019, expressed her sorrow upon hearing the news of his demise.
Former PM also paid tribute, describing Len as “a great entertainer, a popular face on TV screens up and down the country”, reports .
Len Goodman left behind a fortune in his will (Image: PA)
Len took up dancing at the age of 19 after a doctor recommended it as beneficial exercise for an injured foot. In his autobiography, Better Late Than Never: From Barrow Boy to Ballroom, the East Londoner amusingly recalled how his grandmother used to bathe him in a cauldron.
He wrote: “She’d give me a good scrubbing down while I stood in the cauldron. – I must have looked a bit like a cannibal’s lunch. After all my filth had been washed off, the water was heated some more and then in would go the beetroot for cooking.”
The Strictly head judge died in 2023 (Image: PA)
“By then the water would have a kind of scum floating on the top of it. Customers always commented on how good Granddad’s beetroot tasted.”
Len recalled his uncertainty about his audition, sharing, “I felt sure it hadn’t gone well, but two days later Izzie called again. She wanted me on ! I nearly bashed my head on the ceiling.”
Recollecting his unexpected career trajectory, Len reminisced, “Here I was, about to enter my 60s, starting out on a whole new adventure and my first job on TV. Not bad for the grandson of an East End barrow boy – and someone who’d never wanted to be a ballroom dancer in the first place.”