‘DWTS’ Alum Samantha Harris Shares Favorite Len Goodman Memory (Exclusive)

Former “Dancing with the Stars” co-host Samantha Harris is sharing her memories of judge Len Goodman after his death at 78.

“Extra’s” Billy Bush spoke with Harris, who noted,  “I mean, I can't help but smile when I even just hear his name — he had that incredible high-wattage smile that lit up every single room despite whether or not he was onstage, backstage, at home, everywhere he went.”

As for what got Len going, Samantha commented, “It definitely made for those fun moments on the show… He was always a  stickler for precise, you know, really focused work, and so what I loved about Len as just a judge on a professional standpoint was that, first of all, he always kept things positive, and as a positive person myself I appreciated that about him. He didn't want to cut people down just to cut them down, and I think that's what made the show work so well and what made him such a success both on our ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ over in the U.K.”

When Billy brought up how truthful Len was, Samantha responded, “Well, I think that's what people liked and appreciated and why people respected Len so much as a judge, because he knew how to get the best out of each performer by giving really constructive criticism, and that's what a good judge or a good coach does. And he did it with flair.”

Of her favorite memory of Goodman, Harris said, “My fondest memory of Len was… I was pregnant on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ with my oldest daughter, who's now 15, and so from birth until about a little over age 2, she would come to visit me on set and sit on my lap during hair and makeup and he would walk past my dressing room and without fail, he would always poke his head in and he would make my toddler light up so. He had that magnetic personality that could make anyone of any age happy and smile.”

Calling his smile the “best,” Samantha, added, “That's what I'll take, as I think of him hopefully dancing the heck out of heaven.”