Robin Windsor said he lived “permanently in a dark place” after being dropped from Strictly Come Dancing. An inquest into the death of the star has been opened, two years after he died.
As heard at the inquest, Windsor left a suicide note when he died, aged 44, in 2024. After he was discovered dead in his hotel bed by a receptionist, police and medics were called to the Hoxton in West London. PC Emily Hampson said she found two notes near him.
One note was addressed to his ex, Ollie Augustin, and Windsor told him that his suicide was not Augustin’s fault. In the other, Windsor wrote that being axed from Strictly in 2015 left him devastated. He wrote: “This all really started when I lost my job on Strictly and have been fighting it ever since.
“The way they treated me destroyed me…It started me on the road I’m still on. All I wanted from life was to be happy. I loved my job more than anyone else.”
He added that the “heartache, the loneliness, the constant sadness” all got to be “too much”. “I just live permanently in a dark place,” Windsor said. “I just can’t live like this anymore. It’s just too painful.
“I had a good run, I’ve done some incredible things in my 44 years and had an unreal life doing what I loved, but all things must come to an end and my curtain has come down for the final time.”
Windsor, who danced with Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson, Lisa Riley and Deborah Meaden between 2010 and 2013, suffered a back injury that required surgery in 2013. He was forced to sit out on the 2014 series of Strictly while he recovered. The following year, Strictly bosses chose not to bring him back.
The inquest heard that a post-mortem ruled Windsor’s death was likely an overdose on drugs and alcohol. His friend and former colleague, Kristina Rihanoff, told the hearing that the “psychological impact” of leaving Strictly was “very severe” as he “couldn’t do what he loved” due to his back pain. She added that is was “heartbreaking” to see him so “sad, subdued and burdened”.
Former Strictly executive producer Louise Rainbow said Windsor was among three stars dropped ahead of the 2015 series and that though he was “very disappointed” when he was told, his reaction “wasn’t that different” to the other dancers and did not cause her concern.
Rainbow added that Windsor was offered work on the Christmas special and the spin-off It Takes Two, both of which he accepted. She described him as a “joy to work with”.
Windsor’s ex-boyfriend, Marcus Collins, also testified. Through a witness statement read out by the assistant coroner, he siad that Windsor was inconsolable at being axed. He said: “The day he was informed he was no longer required really broke his spirit.”
His aunt, Alison Windsor said he was “absolutely devastated”. She said on Monday: “He lived for dancing, breathed it, slept it. That was his vocation in life.
“Being called for Strictly is every professional dancer’s dream. I think things started with his back problems, when he was told he wasn’t required again. I do honestly 100 per cent believe that was the start of Robin’s decline.”
The Mirror has approached Strictly Come Dancing.
If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
This is a breaking Showbiz news story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future on Google by simply by clicking this link .
You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News , TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , ** Facebook**, YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage .
You can sign up for** **Twitter/X alerts for breaking news here and follow us ** @MirrorCeleb** ** for all the latest updates. Or keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures by following us on Facebook .**
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
