Derek Hough has admitted Len Goodman's bone cancer was a "shock" and also revealed what Len had gifted him upon his Dancing with the Stars retirement.

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Derek revealed on a recent episode of the "Whine Down with Jana Kramer" podcast that he knew Len was "unwell" but the news of his bone-cancer diagnosis threw him for a loop.

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"We certainly didn't know the extent [of his illness] -- we had no idea the extent -- because this was a huge shock to all of us," Derek shared. "And it's incredibly sad... He went far too soon in life, and I just love the guy."

Len died at age 78. He passed away peacefully in hospice in Kent, England, surrounded by his family.

Len announced he was leaving Dancing with the Stars in November 2022 after judging nearly 30 seasons of the reality dancing competition.

Derek said he's shed "countless tears" and has had many phone calls with colleagues and friends following Len's death.

"Most of it is just sharing how much we just love the guy and how lucky we are and how lucky we were to spend as much time with him as we did," Derek said.

Derek acknowledged how there's been "so much loss this year," including So You Think You Can Dance alum Stephen "tWitch" Boss.

"It just keeps hammering home the importance of how fleeting this life is, and how important it is to really take advantage of it and to love it and to really connect with people. [Len] is a special man."

Derek opened up and shared, "I feel incredibly emotional and sad about [Len's death]. And then at the same time, I feel so grateful that the last season that we shared together, you know, I knew this was going to be his last season. So every moment I spent with him, I really savored it. I really savored the moments I spent with him,, and we were playful with each other and we had these one-on-one conversations."

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When Len decided to retire from Dancing with the Stars last year, he gave Derek a parting gift.

"The last day, I walked in my dressing room and there's this giant picture of Len," he recalled of their final day on the Dancing with the Stars set together. "It was framed, beautiful gold frame and it's a picture of him and it had this handwritten message from him."

"It was so beautiful, but also like, inappropriate humor. Like, funny," Derek added.

"It was a hilarious thing he wrote as well. And it was signed by him... And I was just so touched and moved by that, just thinking how our lives were so intertwined."

Derek said he had "the pleasure of knowing" Len since he was 12-years-old, when Derek lived in London, and that Len brought "the gift of gab" and a "great energy."

Derek told Jana Kramer that he constantly thinks back fondly on the time he spent with "the British gentleman" onstage and behind the scenes.

"I just keep thinking back and some of these memories and these moments, and just thinking again, just how fortunate we were to have had him for so long on the show, at least, but he certainly went far too soon in life," Len shared.

Derek said he "absolutely" plans to pay tribute to Len on his "Symphony of Dance" tour, adding, "I think not only just for us, but I think honestly for the audience. You know, I think that a lot of the audience that will come to the show will also in a way [be] mourning this guy that they've watched for 20 years on TV."

On the Dancing with the Stars episode in which Len announced his retirement, he said, "It has been a huge pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful show... But I've decided I'd like to spend more time with my grandchildren and my family back in Britain."

Tyra Banks -- who is being replaced by Julianne Hough next season -- noted how many of the Dancing with the Stars pros, such as Mark Ballas and Val Chmerkovskiy, had been judged by Len as children.

"You've inspired generations of dancers around the entire globe through your passion and through your expertise and through your laser-focused eye," Tyra said.

"And they are going to carry on that commitment to excellence forever. Thank you so much -- a living legend."

Len began serving as a judge on Dancing with the Stars in 2005. He sat on the judging panel for all seasons except for Season 21 in 2015 and Season 29 in 2020.

For years, Len would travel back and forth between the United Kingdom and the United States weekly along with Bruno to judge both Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles, CA and Strictly Come Dancing (the British version of the reality series) in London, England.

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In 2020, he participated in the Dancing with the Stars season virtually, but not as a judge, because he could not freely travel between countries amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Derek replaced Len as the head judge of the show's 29th season during the height of COVID-19.




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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