Strictly star ‘vulnerable to rejection emotionally and professionally’, inquest hears

Dancer left a note which said the way he was treated when he was dropped from the show 'destroyed' him

Professional dancer Robin Windsor, 44, died after consuming alcohol and a drug, and was found in the room in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, in February 2024. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA

A Strictly Come Dancing star who was found dead in a hotel room took his own life, a jury has concluded, as they told an inquest that he was “vulnerable to rejection both emotionally and professionally”.

Professional dancer Robin Windsor, 44, died after consuming alcohol and a drug, and was found in the room in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, in February 2024.

Jurors at West London Coroner’s Court heard that Windsor had left a note which said the way he was treated when he was dropped from the show “destroyed” him.

Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor danced together in the 2012 series of Strictly Come Dancing (Rui Vieira/PA)

After around two hours of deliberation, the jury foreperson said on Thursday: “We agree that the probable causes are an accumulation of many attributes to depression.

“Robin Jamie Windsor suffered from childhood trauma, he was vulnerable to rejection both emotionally and professionally.

“We also agree that loneliness, the lack of emotional maturity, the pressure of mounting debts, the lack of consistent mental health care and support, and reocurring heartache are all contributing factors of Robin Jamie Windsor’s mental health deterioration which in turn led him to take his own life.”

The Latin and ballroom dancer joined Strictly in 2010 and danced with actresses Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson, Lisa Riley, and Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden in four series until 2013.

He could not perform in the 2014 series because of a back injury and was dropped in 2015, but still appeared in the Christmas special that year, dancing alongside TV presenter Alison Hammond.