Dancing With the Stars judge Len Goodman was diagnosed with cancer in March but kept the news a secret until after the hit reality show finished filming, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reports.
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Goodman, who is also the head judge on the British version of the reality show called Strictly Come Dancing, had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his prostate gland three weeks ago without telling any of his colleagues. "I have had the surgery now," the judge, 65, said. "Everything is gorgeously good. I will be back in September for sure."
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The ballroom dancing instructor said he plans to return to the show this fall and credited his quick recovery to doctors spotting the disease early at his annual check-up. The operation, which was done by urologist Peter Thompson at a London hospital, was kept secret from everyone except close family and friends because he felt it was "not necessary to blabber it out to everyone." He also said that he feared the producers of the BBC show might not want a "cancer-riddled, bed-ridden old so-and-so" working for the network. "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," he said. "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."
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Goodman said he feels better already. "I feel good," he said. "I was obviously worried at the start. We all worry if we get something like this. You do feel a bit vulnerable, but as long as you come out the other side all right, why worry? You're a bit sore for a while and you can't play golf, which is the biggest blow at the moment. But I will be able to in a month's time or so, I can't wait."
