Polish Dancing With The Stars champion Cezary Olszewski has been found dead in a hotel room aged 42, local media reports.
His body was found in his hometown of Ostroleka in northeastern Poland on Monday morning, local report have claimed.
Tomasz Żerański, a spokesperson from Ostroleka police, said that an investigation has been launched.
‘We have recorded the death of a 42-year-old man in one of the hotels in Ostroleka,’ he told Polish media.
‘Police officers are conducting investigations under the supervision of the prosecutor. The cause of the man’s death will also be determined.’
Cezary Olszewski’s body was found in his hometown of Ostroleka in northeastern Poland on Monday morning, local report have claimed
Cezary Olszewski performing on Dancing With The Stars
Cezary Olszewski was born on July 17, 1981 in Ostroleka.
He started training for ballroom dancing in the fourth grade of primary school and won several tournaments before becoming a finalist of the Polish Championships.
He appeared on Dancing With The Stars between 2008 and 2010 and won the Crystal Globe in his first year.
He won the seventh series of the show performing alongside Magdalena Walach.
He also danced alongside Anna Nowak-Ibisz, Grazyna Wolszczak, Anna Popek and Dorota Zawadzka on the TV show.
Described by friends as coming from ‘a broken family’, Olszewski found dance as a way to escape the brutal realities of growing up on a run down housing estate.
Cezary Olszewski and Magdalena Walach on Dancing With The Stars
Drawing parallels with the dancer in the film Billy Elliot, a friend said he escaped the violence by turning to dance.
The friend told local media: ‘The fact that he didn’t stay on the street was definitely influenced by the fact that apart from going to school, he had something to do after school, he had something to do – dance.’
Following his parents’ divorce, Olszewski moved in with his mother who talked him into taking dance e classes.
His first coach Dariusz Dabrowski said: ‘He quickly began to achieve success, and after only four years of training he achieved the highest international class “S” in standard and Latin American dances.
‘He also played in the “Odysea” formation, with which he won the Polish champion title many times.’