Strictly's Shirley Ballas reveals sweet nickname Len Goodman gave her as she gears up for BBC return

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas appeared on Wednesday afternoon's instalment of Loose Women as she paid a heartfelt tribute to Len Goodman, following the news of his tragic death on Monday at the age of 78.

Shirley, 62, looked flawless as she appeared on the ITV lunchtime show with curled locks, to pay her respects to her co-star and longtime friend who she has known since the age of nine.The judge even paid a nod to the BBC show, as she sported a black jumper embroidered with red hearts signifying all the Strictly and Dancing With the Stars dancers, matching it to her red lipstick.But she had a very sentimental reason for her glam appearance on the show, as she spoke of the nickname the late showbiz star once gave her."He [Len] never called me Shirley.

He called me 'curly Shirley' or 'twirley Shirley' and that's why I have worn my hair like this today," she said."Thank you so much for coming in to talk about Len, it must be such a hard day for you and such a shock," expressed Coleen.

Shirley said: "I have a lot of good friends in the industry who all loved Len. He was a really big part of our lives.""He was an icon in humour, he could make the rain go away he was such a beautiful human being," she fondly recalled labelling him as a "wonderful man."Len Goodman, who she hailed as "life and soul of the party", has had tributes pouring in since the start of the week, after losing his battle following a short illness with bone cancer.