Arlene Phillips paid tribute to her friend and fellow Strictly judge Len Goodman one year after his death during an appearance on Loose Women.
The former TV judge, 80, looked back on the ‘crazy times’ the pair shared and said she often listens back to recordings of his voice.
Speaking on Tuesday’s show, Arlene added: ‘The joy in the fact that you can just go to your computer, open it up and you can get all those wonderful… ‘I’m just a dance teacher from Dartford’ or whatever it may be and you can hear them.
‘So, just hearing his voice brings him back and the crazy times that we shared.’
Arlene told how she and Len first met through fellow ballroom dancer Peggy Spencer.
Arlene Phillips paid tribute to her friend and fellow Strictly judge Len Goodman one year after his death during an appearance on Loose Women
The former TV judge, 80, looked back on the ‘crazy times’ the pair shared and said she often listens back to recordings of his voice
Arlene said: ‘Just hearing his voice brings him back and the crazy times that we shared’ (L-R Bruno Tonioli, Arlene, Len and Craig Revel-Horwood)
She said: ‘I knew him and actually studied with Peggy Spencer, who Len was a great ally with dance lessons, but we came together [one] day and I had no idea Len was going to be there.’
She continued: ‘They had called my agent, from the BBC, and they said, ‘We’re going to make a pilot and it’s probably going to be called ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ but it’s based on Come Dancing – that show that spent a lifetime on the BBC – and that we’d like to audition Arlene Phillips as a panellist.
Speaking to Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan, Janet Street-Porter and Brenda Edwards live in the studio, the choreographer also opened up turning 80.
She said: ‘I have to say, I now feel about age in a way that I never, ever thought I would. That was when I hit my 80th birthday because as far as I was concerned, those numbers could roll along but I was me and the numbers didn’t count, the numbers didn’t matter.
‘I didn’t care if I didn’t celebrate a birthday, it was not important. I hit 80 [and] for the first time I was questioning my health: ‘Will I keep going, How long do I have? How long am I going to spend time with my granddaughters?’
‘And something in my mindset has changed, I’m still bounding along each day… I got back from Germany on Thursday from working on the Starlight Express, new Starlight Express on Monday, non-stop, absolutely non-stop.’
Earlier in the show, the Loose Women discussed ‘if people become more outspoken with age’.
Continuing the conversation, Arlene said: ‘I have had to say, I’ve had to reverse my position of teaching to a new me and new generation. It’s a nice me but a really understanding me, really spreading understanding and listening to people and involving people. It’s very caring.
Arlene told how she and Len first met through fellow ballroom dancer Peggy Spencer
Speaking to Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan, Janet Street-Porter and Brenda Edwards live in the studio, the choreographer also opened up turning 80
She said: ‘I have to say, I now feel about age in a way that I never, ever thought I would. That was when I hit my 80th birthday because as far as I was concerned, those numbers could roll along but I was me and the numbers didn’t count, the numbers didn’t matter’
The much-loved head judge had been in a hospice in Tunbridge Wells in Kent following a short illness with bone cancer. He died peacefully in April 2023
‘So, it is different. But, outspoken? I think I’ve always been outspoken! Hopefully I’ll be outspoken more, because as a woman, and forever working in all male teams, I had to be outspoken and I didn’t want to fight.’
The much-loved head judge had been in a hospice in Tunbridge Wells in Kent following a short illness with bone cancer.
He died peacefully in April 2023, just six months into his retirement.
Bethnal Green-born Len, who grew up in Blackfen, Bexley, was a professional dancer and teacher who had also been a welder and dreamed of being a professional footballer.
He became a national treasure after auditioning for Strictly Come Dancing aged 60, when most people might be looking to retire.
As well as Strictly, he also appeared on the US version of the show, Dancing With the Stars from 2005 until November 2022.
In November, in his last appearance on TV, he announced he was retiring to spend more time with his wife Sue, and his grandchildren.