Strictly star Robin Windsor ‘took own life after mental health deterioration’
Warning: This story contains information some readers may find distressing.
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Robin Windsor took his own life, an inquest jury has concluded, and said being “vulnerable to rejection both emotionally and professionally” were factors in the decline of his mental health.
Windsor, who took part in the BBC One series from 2010 to 2013, died at the age of 44 in February 2024.
The inquest at West London Coroner’s Court heard that he was found dead in a hotel room in Shepherd’s Bush, west London.
“We agree that the probable causes are an accumulation of many attributes to depression,” the jury foreperson said on Thursday, after about two hours of deliberation.
They added: “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 recurring heartache are all contributing factors of Robin Jamie Windsor’s mental health deterioration which in turn led him to take his own life.”
In a statement, the Windsor family said: “It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge that Robin took his own life. As a family, together with Robin’s close friends, we can now begin to move forward and attempt, over time, to rebuild our lives.
“We wish to express sincere gratitude to everyone who has shown us kindness, compassion and support throughout the long and difficult period since Robin’s passing. Thank you to everyone who has remembered Robin and marked his life with such love.”
After the jury’s conclusion, coroner Dr Anton van Dellen said: “I hope the family can take some comfort from the joy that Robin brought to so many people and the positive effect he had. That is a wonderful legacy.”
Addressing Windsor’s family at the front of the courtroom, the coroner added: “I hope you can think of the happy times he brought to the public and the deep affection the public held him in.”
Earlier this week, the inquest heard from friends and co-stars that being dropped from Strictly, along with money and relationship problems, contributed to a downturn in his mental health.
Those giving evidence included actress Lisa Riley, one of his Strictly dance partners, who said he slipped “deeper and deeper into endless depression” after leaving the TV show, and talked about occasions when he was “drowning in debts” and struggling with “failing” relationships.
One of Windsor’s ex-boyfriends, singer and X Factor star Marcus Collins, said the dancer “deteriorated” in 2014 after being told he was no longer required for Strictly, which “really broke his spirit”.
Collins added that Windsor subsequently “struggled to balance his mental health and finances”, and that from 2016 to 2024 “his mental health was pretty compromised and relationships with friends and partners came and went”.
The coroner’s court also heard that Windsor had left a note saying his problems started when he lost his job on Strictly, and referenced struggles with loneliness and relationships, among the triggers for his troubles.
Windsor, from Ipswich, also partnered Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson and Deborah Meaden on Strictly, and Sara Cox and Alison Hammond in Christmas specials.
If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
