Why Cheryl Burke Will Be Absent From Len Goodman's 'DWTS' Tribute
L: Cheryl Burke, R: Len Goodman
Many current and former Dancing With the Stars favorites will gather together in the next episode to pay tribute to the late judge Len Goodman, but at least one longtime pro dancer will be notably absent.
Cheryl Burke, who performed as a pro dancer for 26 seasons of the long-running series, says she won't be present, as she was not invited to be a part of the episode honoring her former colleague.
"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," she wrote on Threads. "However, I’ll be there in spirit and can’t wait to cheer my former colleagues on! Sending love and light to everyone. ?????? #riplen."
The Oct. 24 episode is set to be dedicated to the former head judge, with Maks Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson-Herjavec, Tony Dovolani, Anna Trebunskaya, Edyta Sliwinska, Karina Smirnoff, Louis van Amstel and Mark Ballas all set to participate.
In honor of Goodman, the show also renamed the coveted Mirrorball Trophy to the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, which "will now be lifted on Dancing with the Stars like the Vince Lombardi trophy is lifted at the Super Bowl," executive producer Conrad Green previously told USA Today. "We wanted to make Len a permanent part of this show, to always remind people the importance he's had to Dancing With the Stars and how much he meant to all of us."
The show will also keep the head judge position vacant in his honor, returning to a three-judge panel of equal weight.
Goodman died earlier this year after a brief battle with prostate cancer that spread to his bones, shortly after he announced his retirement from the popular reality series. He was 78, passing under hospice care.
At the end of the 31st season, he told the audience, "I've decided I'd like to spend more time with my grandchildren and family back in Britain. I cannot thank you enough, the Dancing with the Stars family. It's been such a wonderful experience for me."
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