'Strictly Come Dancing': Len Goodman 'To Be Replaced By Australian Judge Helen Richey'

Anton Du Beke’s place on the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judging line-up could be less of a certainty than we thought, as new reports suggesting an outsider has bagged the job.

Rumours that Anton will be taking over from Len Goodman have been rife ever since the current Head Judge announced that he’d be stepping down from the panel at the end of this year.

However, it’s now being claimed that the job will actually be going to ballroom veteran Helen Richey, who has already enjoyed success on the Australian version of the show, where she has judged a whopping 15 seasons.

A source tells The Sun: “Helen is known across the dancing world and highly respected.

“She’s been a judge in Australia for 12 years so is used to the cameras and has a similar calm temperament to Len.”

Len first announced his decision to leave ‘Strictly’ back in July, saying at the time: “This adventure began when I was 60 and now that I’ve reached my 70s, I’ve decided after this year it’s time to hand the role of Head Judge to someone else.”

Since then, he’s revealed his hopes that his successor will be a fellow ballroom expert, explicitly naming Karen Hardy and Anton Du Beke as potential contenders for the job.

Anton’s name has repeatedly been brought up in reference to the job, with fellow ‘Strictly’ pro Brendan Cole also initially slated for the job early on.

More recently, though, it was reported that producers had ruled out Brendan, following claims he wouldn’t gel well with the rest of the panel.