Len Goodman raised eyebrows with comments he made to Fifth Harmony singer Ally Brooke following her performance on Dancing With The Stars on Tuesday. Ally, 26, wowed the studio audience and the judges with her Rumba – but was left red-faced following her exchange with head judge Len. Len began by praising Ally's routine with pro partner Sasha Ferber, giving particular note to their Cucaracha – a specialist Rumba step. The thrilled singer ran up to 75-year-old Len, and high-fived him, much to the delight of the audience. But as she retook her place alongside Sasha, Len was heard saying: "Don't get overwhelmed." Wagging his finger, he then added: "And don't touch me again." Clearly confused, Ally replied, "I gave you a high-five!" Despite the awkward exchange, Ally left the stage on a high, having scored 24 points out of 30 for her routine.
Len Goodman stunned DWTS viewers with his comments to Ally Brooke
The moment did not go unnoticed by Dancing With The Stars fans. "Did Len just have some kind of panic attack or something? What was up with him telling Ally not to touch him??" one viewer enquired. Another remarked: "When Len Goodman told Ally Brooke "don't touch me again" his tone was very rude. There was better way say it or just don't say anything. Maybe it's time they change judges. They've done it before." A third fan added: "#lengoodman used to be funny on #DWTS now he is just rude."
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Len worked as a Strictly judge from 2004 until 2016
Len has been a judge on Dancing With The Stars since it began in 2005; he left the show for season 21 but returned the following year. He also famously worked as head judge on Strictly Come Dancing from 2004 until 2016, when he was replaced by Shirley Ballas. Prior to that, he was facing a brutal weekly commute between LA and London to fulfil his commitments on both shows. "It was tough," he recently told the Mirror. "They fly us first class, but you could be on a private jet, you've still got an eight-hour time difference to cope with. It's a really hard schedule. I don't know how I did it. Probably greed…" Asked about his current role on Dancing With The Stars, he joked: "It's in Los Angeles, they put me up in a lovely apartment overlooking a golf course, and I only work on a Monday. It's not horrible, is it?!"