Dancing with the Stars' Bruno Tonioli breaks down in tears during Len Goodman tribute

Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli broke down in tears during the show's heartfelt tribute to late judge Len Goodman.

Len retired from the US dancing show last November after 17 years as head judge, and passed away in April this year, aged 78, after a battle with bone cancer.

Bruno who appeared as a judge alongside Len on both Dancing with the Stars and formerly Strictly Come Dancing was seen in tears on camera shortly after the professional dancers' performance dedicated to Len.

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At one point, fellow DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba reached over to comfort Bruno as he got up from the judging panel and appeared to leave the set.

Introducing the dedication to Len, Dancing with the Stars host Alfonso Ribiero stated that the late ballroom judge "would always be at the heart of this show".

The tribute started began with a video montage of several show professionals sharing their fond memories of the late Len.

Related: Dancing with the Stars pays tribute to Len Goodman

Dancer-turned-judge Derek Hough remembered Len as "charming", recalling how he had been a part of his life since he was 12-tears-old.

Professional dancer and Strictly judge Shirley Ballas's son, Mark Ballas, also reflected on his close relationship with the late judge. "To me he was just Len, my mum's friend and dance teacher," he said.

"Len was just a sweetheart off-camera," Ballas added in another clip, calling him "'lovely jubbly' as he would say."

Related: Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough opens up about Len Goodman's death

Julianne Hough, Kym Johnson-Herjavec and Val Chmerkovskiy were three other professionals to pay their respects, with Julianne also noting Len's love for his son James and wife Sue, who was present in the show audience.

Derek and Julianne kicked off the Waltz tribute to Len set to an instrumental version of 'Moon River' originally sung by actress Audrey Hepburn in the classic 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The brother and sister duo were then joined on the floor by the show's fellow professionals, who waltzed under a projected, illuminated moon for the performance.

At the end of the routine, all dancers extended a hand to the judging panel, marking Len's usual middle seat, now empty.

An audio clip from Len followed, who said: "All good things must come to an end."

It's not the first time the show has paid tribute to Len, with it revealed last month that the winner's trophy has been officially renamed the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

"It is so fantastic that Len will always be going forward with us," Derek said at the time, teasing this week's "spectacular tribute" in October.

Dancing with the Stars streams live on Disney+ in the US.

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