Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman (WENN)

£90,000 won't keep Len Goodman on Strictly Come Dancing

Monday, 20 October 2008

Strictly Come Dancing supremo Len Goodman plans to quit his role as head judge of the show at the end of the current run as a grueling weekly trek to the USA and back has become too much.

The 64 year-old dance master is also a judge on twin American show Dancing With the Stars - which is running at the same time across the pond - meaning he has to travel back and forth each week to fulfil his duties.

This means he clocks up 110,000 air miles in the 10-week run, leaving him with no choice but to quit as judge on one of the shows before it begins to affect his health.

It's not that touch a decision for Goodman to make though, as he makes a reported £250,000 a series from ABC to judge the American version of the show, in comparison to £90,000 from the BBC.

And it's only just been upped to £90,000 - the Beeb apparently upped his wages from £60,000 to persuade him to stay even longer.

Len Goodman on Dancing With The Stars (WENN)

Len Goodman on Strictly Come Dancing (WENN)

But it looks as though likeable Len has made his mind up, telling the News Of The World: "The jet-lag takes it toll.

"I wasn’t going to do it this year — the flying backwards and forwards — but I got talked into it again.

"But this will probably be the last time. I’ll have to make the decision — if they ask me — whether to do the British show or American show.

"My heart wants to do the British show but my head — the money — makes me want to do the American one."

Goodman's not the only judge who has to make the weekly marathon flights either - flamboyant Bruno Tonioli also works as a judge on both shows.

He and Goodman fly to LA each Sunday morning to film Dancing With The Stars and are back in London by Thursday for two long days on Strictly Come Dancing before the weeks starts all over again.

But Bruno is ten years younger than Len!

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