Craig Revel Horwood has revealed the real reason why Len Goodman has announced he’ll be stepping down from the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judging panel at the end of the year – because he no longer has the energy for all the travelling he does.

72 year old Goodman combines his head judge role on BBC One’s Saturday night favourite, which returns next weekend (September 3rd), with a judging position on America’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’ – and the international travel it involves is getting too much for him.

Len GoodmanLen Goodman is stepping down from his 'Strictly' role after this series

Speaking to the Sunday Post, fellow ‘Strictly’ judge Revel Horwood – who will almost certainly become head judge from next season – said that the transatlantic journeying takes too much out of Goodman.

“The American gig is good for [Len] because he can go out for two months, it’s a shorter season and it pays more money. He doesn’t have to fly back and forwards which is exhausting even if you are drinking champagne in first class,” he said.

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Revel Horwood, 51, is known for being Mr Nasty on the ‘Strictly’ judging panel, and confessed that if does become head judge he won’t be able to play his ‘bad cop’ role anymore, and will also miss the verbal sparring that he and Len often engage in on the show.

Craig Revel HorwoodCraig Revel Horwood is likely to replace Len as head judge

“I’ll miss our battling most definitely and all the pointing of the fingers. It’ll be really quite bizarre when he’s not there,” he admitted.

“I think it’s great to get new blood in and I rather like the role I have played over the years. So I don’t know whether or not I’d like that continuously. Coming in on a Saturday and slating a few celebrities is an absolute delight. I love it.”

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