What happened to Len on 'Dancing with the Stars'? Here's why he is missing from the show

Fans of the reality show Dancing with the Stars cannot contain their excitement as season 29 of the show was kicked off on September 14 on ABC. However, when the season premiered on Monday, many fans were baffled to see the veteran judge and professional dancer Len Goodman missing from the show. Instead, it was the American professional dancer Derek Hough who was seen sitting beside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Read to know, “What happened to Len on Dancing with the Stars?”

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What happened to Len on Dancing with the Stars?

The 76-year-old English ballroom dancer and judge Len Goodman has been a part of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars since 2005. Most recently, he was seen judging the show’s season 28 which was aired in 2019. However, this year Goodman was replaced by the 35-year-old professional dancer Derek Hough. 

ABC revealed on its official website that Len Goodman, who is in London at the moment, was unable to travel to Los Angeles, United States due to the travel restrictions due to COVID-19. In its official statement, the network explained, "in light of current circumstances," Len would be unable to judge this season live in the ballroom, though he will still be a part of the show in a different capacity sharing his ballroom expertise from London. Len Goodman is also a judge on the British version of Dancing with the Stars, known as Strictly Come Dancing.

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Len has been judging both the shows simultaneously for since their inception. ABC further revealed that Bruno Tonioli, who is also a judge on both Dancing with the Stars and Strictly Come Dancing will only be judging the former this year as he won’t be able to travel to the UK for shooting the latter. It is important to remember that Bruno is 64 and Len is 76, hence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both the professional dancers are at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 if exposed.

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Derek Hough replaces Len Goodman this season

Derek Hough has been one of the most loved contestants on ABC's DWTS. The 35-year-old dancer has appeared on the show multiple times and was paired with several celebrity partners including Nicole Scherzinger, Glee’s Amber Riley, and Brooke Burke. Derek Hough was also recently seen judging season 4 of the NBC show World of Dance. The season premiered on May 26 and its last episode aired on August 12. Season 4 of World of Dance featured judges Ne-Yo and Jennifer Lopez alongside Derek Hough. Shortly after the season finale of the NBC show, it was announced on September 10 that the American pro dancer will be judging DWTS season 29.

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{Promo Image Source: Len Goodman (Instagram)}