Cheryl Burke has paid her own special tribute to Len Goodman after she was allegedly left out of an upcoming televised memoriam of the late Dancing with the Stars judge.
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Cheryl released her own tribute to Len after claiming she wasn't invited to participate in the official Dancing with the Stars memorial performance, which will air on Tuesday night's Season 32 episode on ABC.
In the Instagram video, Cheryl spoke kindly of Len, who died in April at age 78 from metastatic prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Cheryl made it clear that she valued their friendship and his mentorship over the years.
"Even though I am not going to be in the ballroom tonight, I still want to be able to express how much Len Goodman meant to me and the influence he had on my competitive career back even before Dancing with the Stars," Cheryl said.
"There are not enough words to honestly describe how much he really made such a huge impact on my life, but why not give it a shot."
Cheryl, who was wearing a sexy red dress in the video, announced her Dancing with the Stars retirement late last year.
Cheryl had joined Dancing with the Stars for Season 2 back in 2005, and she competed in 26 seasons of the show. (All but Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars aired on ABC).
The professional dancer and choreographer won Dancing with the Stars twice, once with Drew Lachey during her inaugural season and then with athlete Emmitt Smith in 2006.
Cheryl recalled how Len was "one of the many judges" she had when she competed in Europe as a teenager, long before Dancing with the Stars debuted.
"He judged me up until our last season [Dancing with the Stars' 31st season in Fall 2022], when we both coincidentally decided to retire from Dancing with the Stars," Cheryl explained.
"To this day, I always get asked who my favorite judge is, and without hesitation, I would consistently -- and still, to this day, say, 'Len Goodman.' Mr. Len Goodman, thank you for being the face of ballroom dancing and always standing by what was right no matter what."
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Cheryl pointed out how Len was "such a huge part" of why Dancing with the Stars is "a massive hit" with home viewers, and she praised him for having had decades of knowledge and experience.
"Your tough love and no B-S approach -- which I appreciated -- when I came to the genre of ballroom dancing was admirable and something I looked up to," Cheryl said.
"But more importantly, your respect for the art and the sport of ballroom dance showed me -- and millions of people -- how much you truly cared... [Instead of gimmicks and tricks, all you ever really wanted to see was strictly ballroom."
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Cheryl said that because of Len, ballroom dance was brought to mainstream television.
"I truly believe the show is a success and loved and viewed by millions to this day because of your influence, your passion and love for the ballroom genre," Cheryl explained.
"I'll never forget the thousands of routines I've choreographed and performed on Dancing with the Stars, and the constant questions I'd always asked myself before performing live was, 'Did I do anything in my power to teach correct ballroom technique? Does this routine have enough 'content' in it? Is my partner demonstrating heel leads in the dances that require it?' And more importantly, would I make Mr. Len Goodman proud? Does this dance I'm about to teach my celebrity have the potential for Len to give us a 10?'"
Cheryl also shared how she always looked forward to bumping into Len in the hallways of CBS.
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"No amount of time we actually got to spend together is something I'll honestly cherish and keep in my heart forever," Cheryl continued in her video
"Thank you so much for representing us ballroom dancers and never compromising what we stood for in the ballroom community. Thank you for changing my life and for bringing joy to millions of people who have been watching us throughout the years."
Cheryl also gave Len's family a shout-out, and she proceeded to wish the Dancing with the Stars performers well with their tribute to Len on the upcoming episode.
"[I] wish all of the pro dancers tonight who are taking part in Len's tribute so much love," Cheryl concluded. "I know that Len would give your performance an 11 if he could."
Len's tribute tonight will feature current and former Dancing with the Stars pros -- including Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson, Mark Ballas and Tony Dovolani.
Cheryl surprised fans last week when she said she wasn't invited to dance in the special tribute for Len.
"For those of you asking if I'll be a part of Len Goodman's tribute next week on DWTS, unfortunately, I wasn't invited however, I'll be there in spirit and can't wait to cheer my former colleagues on!" Cheryl wrote via Threads on October 19, according to Us Weekly.
"Sending love and light to everyone #riplen."
Dancing with the Stars host Alfonso Ribeiro and co-host Julianne Hough had announced during the October 17 episode of the series that a memorial routine would be performed to honor Len's memory and influence on the show.
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Dancing with the Stars also renamed its mirrorball trophy to "The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy" in order to keep Len's spirit in the ballroom every season going forward.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
