BBC Strictly Come Dancing former judges now from tragic death to 'feud'
16.09.2023 - 17:45
/ ok.co.uk
Strictly Come Dancing is about to kick off its’ unbelievable 21st series tonight, as the latest batch of celebs get ready to battle it out on the dancefloor. Over its’ staggering two-decade run, the show has seen more than 300 stars put on their dancing shoes in the hopes of impressing the notoriously hard to please judging panel.
The current judging panel is made up of former pro dancer Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and head judge Shirley Ballas.
But what has happened to the judges from days gone by? We take a trip down memory lane... Len Goodman Len Goodman was one of the longest-serving judges on the show and helped launch the series back in 2004.
A year later, he became the head judge on the US edition of the show, Dancing With The Stars He sat on the Strictly panel for 12 years until 2016 and continued working on Dancing With The Stars until 2022 when he announced he would be retiring from TV to focus on spending more time with his family. However, he sadly passed away on 22 April 2023 in a hospice after privately suffering from bone cancer.
Tributes poured in for the beloved TV star, with Strictly presenter Claudia Winkleman calling the ballroom dancer “a class act” full of “twinkle, warmth and wit.” Dame Arlene Phillips Arlene Phillips was another original Strictly judge, joining the panel back in 2004.
Despite rapidly cementing herself as a fan favourite, Arlene, 80, was controversially dropped from the show in 2008 - and sparked an ageism row when her replacement was revealed to be Alesha Dixon, a pop star 36 years Arlene’s junior. Arlene later admitted that she should have asked for “a damn apology” from the BBC.
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