Tipping Point: Len Goodman gets frustrated with machine
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Keeping details of his private life close to his chest, it was not until Len gave an interview to The Mail on Sunday that it emerged he had battled prostate cancer. At the time he was still head judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, as well as appearing on the judging panel of its American equivalent Dancing With The Stars – which he still appears on today – but had decided to only tell a handful of select people about his run in with cancer.
The star had been given his diagnosis only months before filming for Dancing With The Stars was due to begin, so decided that he would receive surgery to remove the tumour, rather than not appear on the live shows.
Talking about his decision he said: “I could have said ‘sorry’ and not done the show, but the doctors felt I wasn’t riddled with it and it wasn’t so far advanced that it was a life-or-death scenario.
“It takes a few weeks to get everything set up for the operation anyway, so I went ahead and did the show. I had the surgery done as soon as I got back from America.”
After surgery the 77-year-old was about to recover privately, only sharing the news with half a dozen people, none of whom included Strictly hosts Tess Daley and the late but great Sir Bruce Forsyth, who Len joked would have thought of him as a “cancer-riddled, bed-ridden old so-and so.”
At the time Len said: “People generally think ‘bloody hell’. With all the hoo-ha about Strictly coming up, I thought, ‘Just my luck, they won’t want that old f**t on it, the cancer-riddled, bed-ridden old so-and so.’”
“I’ve had the surgery now. Everything’s gorgeously good.
“It wasn’t necessary to blabber it out to everyone.”
Although keeping the details of his surgery quiet at the time, Len went on to explain the importance of others getting themselves checked, especially middle-aged men in particular.
After a four-night stay in a south east London hospital Len added: “Men, probably more than women, tend to ignore their health.
“As long as you get checked up every year then […] if you do get something, then hopefully they can catch it early and you have a good chance.
“I think that’s the most important thing – men of a certain age should have their check-up every year.”
Unfortunately for Len, this was not the only time he has had a run-in with the deadly disease that is cancer. In 2020, Len was pictured in a baseball cap and a small bandage on his face. The picture, which was posted to Facebook by the Melanoma Fund, explained that the star had had a small surgery to remove skin cancer.
After having the procedure Len took to Good Morning Britain to talk about how he first noticed the “tiny” mole that had to be removed. He said: “I was playing golf and a bloke said to me, ‘Oh, you’ve got a little mole on your forehead’.
“He went, just like my nan used to. He told me to get it checked. I’m not medical at all, so I said, ‘I don’t know, what is it?’ I went and they took it out and it’s gone. It was a tiny little thing on my forehead… probably because I play a lot of golf and I don’t wear a hat, which I do now.
“It was good that it was what it was because it was like a little early warning, which was good because I would have probably carried on in my own sweet way and it could have become something far worse!”
After getting over the “shock” of a cancer diagnosis for the second time within his life, Len again encouraged individuals to check themselves regularly, and take proactive measures such as wearing a strong SPF regularly.
In relation to prostate cancer, the NHS explains that it is slow developing and can go undiagnosed for years. This means that check-ups are crucial for detection.
If symptoms do occur, individuals are likely to experience difficulty when they pee. A GP will be able to detect prostate cancer using one or more of the following tests:
- Blood tests
- A physical examination of your prostate (known as a digital rectal examination, or DRE)
- An MRI scan
- A biopsy.
In relation to melanoma, the most common signs include the appearance of a new mole, a change in an existing mole or the development of a new pigmented or unusual growth on your skin.
To help you identify characteristics of unusual moles, The Mayo Clinic provides a handy list that individuals can use to check for signs of melanomas or other skin cancers:
- A is for asymmetrical shape. Look for moles with irregular shapes, such as two very different-looking halves.
- B is for irregular borders. Look for moles with irregular, notched or scalloped borders — characteristics of melanomas.
- C is for changes in colour. Look for growths that have many colours or an uneven distribution of colour.
- D is for diameter. Look for new growth in a mole larger than 6 millimetres.
- E is for evolving. Look for changes over time, such as a mole that grows in size or that changes colour or shape. Moles may also evolve to develop new signs and symptoms, such as new itchiness or bleeding.
If you or someone you know experiences any sort of symptoms like the ones detailed above, it is recommended to seek medical attention.
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