‘Dancing with the Stars 21’: Derek Hough believes Len Goodman will return

For one reason or another, one of the biggest stories this week has been the “surprise” news that Len Goodman is stepping down as a main judge on “Dancing with the Stars” … even though we have more or less known this for the past several months, and the same goes most of America.

Goodman’s reasoning why is simple and understandable: He judges the British version of the show in “Strictly Come Dancing,” and he is also 71 years old. It’s a lot to ask him to fly from England to Los Angeles and back every week to take on both these shows, even though Bruno Tonioli is seemingly still doing it. (Bruno is also more than ten years younger.)

But while Len may no longer have a permanent position on the panel, that does not mean that he will be hiding out from appearing in the slightest. As Derek Hough elegantly told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview, he feels like he will pop up again at some point:

“Well, he’ll be here this season. He’ll be here … He’ll be in and out. But it’s the 21st season on top of doing 15 seasons in England simultaneously so he’s a champion man. He’s our guy. I love him. I love Len and I’ll miss him but he’s not going just yet. He ain’t going just yet.”

For the most part Len remains a beloved figure both onscreen and off for the show. He’s the harshest judge, but his praise often means a lot. He also is rather funny when he is cranky, and he has a great deal of ballroom knowledge thanks to his own past.

If you did miss it, head over to the link here to get some more news related to the pros appearing on this upcoming season! Also, you can sign up here to get some other news worth dancing over courtesy of our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)