‘Heartbroken’ Robin Windsor died after being sent on ‘a downwards spiral’ after Strictly Come Dancing axe
FRIENDS and fans of Strictly Come Dancing star Robin Windsor last night said they were struggling to come to terms with his shock death at just 44.
The dance pro had told how he battled with depression and the disappointment of being sacked from the show a decade ago following an injury.
In an interview last year he said: “I was always seen as a happy person, always with a big smile on my face.
“Now I realise that those with the biggest smiles sometimes can hide the biggest pain.”
In his final Instagram post last month, he shared a haunting picture of himself with the message “hiding in the shadows”.
News of his death was yesterday announced on the Facebook page of his dance company, Burn the Floor.
Last night a host of Strictly stars paid warm tributes to their friend.
He appeared on the BBC1 show from 2010 until 2013, partnering Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson, Lisa Riley and Deborah Meaden.
He danced with Susanna Reid on a Children in Need special, and with Alison Hammond in the 2015 Christmas show.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood wrote: “He was one of the kindest, gentle, honest, funny and caring people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with.
“He will be forever missed.
“My heart goes out to all his family & friends.
“RIP darling man, you were truly loved.”
Emmerdale actress Lisa, paired with Robin in 2012, said: “My Bestie, My Robin, My Angel, now our forever Angel, who is loved, will always be loved, forever in my heart, my very broken heart.
“I love you, shine your beautiful, electric energy from heaven.”
Fellow dancer James Jordan said: “I had the pleasure of working with this man for many years on Strictly.
“Everyone who came in contact with him adored him, from his celebrity partners to his working colleagues.
“You will be missed old friend.”
Kristina Rihanoff said she was: “blown away by his kindness, lighthearted personality and amazing loyalty.”
SHe added: “He always found the way to bring my spirit up.
“However his own spirit was destroyed when he was dropped from Strictly and that’s where I started to see changes in his personality, depression and broken self worth.
“While we went on to do many shows, tours, gigs and appearances together he was struggling more and more with instability of work and excruciating back because of the injury he had suffered.”
Robin, from Ipswich, never regained the limelight he enjoyed during his time dancing with celebrities on Strictly.
He said: “I got a phone call saying ‘Thank you for all your hard work on the show.
“We won’t be needing you anymore’.
“And that was all I got.
“That hurt more than anything.
“It was heartbreaking.
“Being on Strictly was the best job in the world.
“I think I loved being on that show more than any other person that was there.”
Robin revealed how a serious injury in 2013 forced him to miss the following year’s series.
Speaking to the My Time Capsule Podcast in 2022, he said: “We were trying some lifts and things at an afterparty.
“I fell at Blackpool and landed on a marble floor and I knocked one of my discs out in my back, and I went on a downward spiral.
“It was the worst thing ever.
“It was really, really tough to have to watch the show go on without you, but in my mind I was like: ‘Do you know, they’ll have me back next year, of course they will, they’ll have to’.”
He added: “It’s the nature of television.
“One minute you’re in, the next you’re out.
“It happens so much.
“Every time producers think it’s time for a change, somebody has to go.”
Being on Strictly was the best job in the world. I think I loved being on that show more than any other person that was there
Robin Windsor
But he always found it hard to let go, saying: “I will always be part of that Strictly family – no matter who you are and what you do on the show, you’re always part of it.”
Robin was in a relationship with X-Factor finalist Marcus Collins from 2013 to 2015.
They’d had earlier passed in a corridor at ITV, and after Robin appeared on the cover of a magazine, singer Marcus got in touch to say: “You’re looking really good.”
The romance came after Robin’s former dance partner Deborah Meaden gave him some advice.
He revealed: “She told me to get myself together, concentrate on work, forget about men, and enjoy life.
“As soon as I did that, Marcus came along.”
Yesterday the BBC posted a tribute to Robin, saying: “The whole Strictly Come Dancing family are deeply saddened to hear the news about our dear friend Robin Windsor.
“He was not only an exceptionally talented dancer and choreographer but also a caring, considerate and kind person both on and off the dancefloor.
Inside Strictly star’s agonising health battle
The 44-year-old BBC star previously opened up about his exit from the show, before his tragic death.
Robin left Strictly in 2014, claiming bosses had axed him following a “horrible back operation”.
Speaking at the time, he said: “Leaving Strictly wasn’t my choice.
“I had a horrible back operation and they decided that they didn’t want to ask me back the next year.
“It was probably for health and safety reasons, in case something happened, but I was physically fit.”
Talking about when the horror injury happened, Robin explained he had “slipped a disc in [his] back”, adding that “the nerve was exposed, causing agonising pains shooting down [his] leg”.
He said: “I was paralysed on the floor of my friend’s house as the pain was so bad. I was there for three or four days.
“I couldn’t risk going ahead. It was a heartbreaking decision but I had no choice.
“If the slipped disc had popped out while I was dancing, I could have ended up with permanent nerve damage and been in a wheelchair.”