Robin Windsor’s heartbroken family thank mourners for ‘outpouring of love’ after the Strictly Come Dancing star was tragically found dead aged 44.
The professional Latin and Ballroom dancer vanished last week before his body was discovered in a London Hotel on Monday.
Friends and family have been paying tribute to Robin, who was best known for his appearing on Strictly come dancing from 2010 to 2015, all week since the sad news was revealed.
Robin Windsor’s family shared a statement, which read: ‘We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and celebration of our beloved Robin.
‘While we understand that there is a huge public and media interest around his passing, we as a family need time to process our shock and grief.
The professional Latin and Ballroom dancer vanished last week before his body was discovered in a London Hotel on Monday
Robin Windsor was best known for his appearing on Strictly come dancing from 2010 to 2015
The ‘energetic’ performer started dancing at the tender age of three
‘We ask for the needs of our family and friends to be taken into consideration and for our privacy to be respected at this difficult time.
‘We would ask that the constant media speculation stop. As we have further information we will share a statement in due course.’
Robin had opened up on his struggles with mental health before his death in a video for SANE, a charity he was an ambassador for, with volunteers from the charity.
He explained: ‘Once I spoke to someone who completely listened, they didn’t really have to give me advice, they just had to listen and I could see that they wanted me to be better.
‘It’s picking the right person to speak to.’
Sharing the video, SANE paid tribute to Robin’s memory, writing: ‘We were very distressed to learn of the death of Robin Windsor, one of SANE’s most vigorous and loyal ambassadors.
‘He brought the elegance, energy and sheer joy of his dancing into mental health and gave hope to those, like him, who have struggled with dark times.’
After Robin went missing last week his close friend Vincent Simone frantically rang those close to the star to find out where he was.
Vincent, who is also a dancer and had known Robin since he was 17, told the Mirror his friend was known to go missing and that it had been an ‘ongoing problem’.
Robin Windsor got his big TV break when joining Strictly Come Dancing in 2010
Robin Windsor’s dance partners included TV presenter Susanna Reid, seen here performing together on Strictly Come Dancing for Children in Need in 2011
Robin Windsor and Kristina Rihanoff during the launch of their Burn the Floor show in 2013
He said: ‘He would detach himself from people for two or three days. Then he would come back to the world, to reality. But this time, he didn’t come back. He was the best man I ever met.’
Robin suffered a troubling incident over the New Year period, before embarking to perform on a luxurious cruise in South Africa.
‘He kept saying that something had happened over New Year but he wouldn’t say what it was,’ the friend told the Mail. ‘He sounded absolutely traumatised – whatever had happened must have been truly awful.’
Seven days earlier, the dancer had reposted a quote which said: ‘Trauma teaches you to expect and accept the bare minimum. In this new season, may you adjust your standards and learn to receive the maximum. You are worthy. You are enough. You deserve overflow.’
And on January 4, he had shared a message with his friends and followers which said: ‘Big shout out and love to everyone who’s reached out and checked in the last week. Sorry I have not replied… it’s been a bit of a trying time and things are looking up. Robin.’
Tributes have poured in underneath the star’s tragic last selfie, with one fan writing: ‘So shocked and saddened to hear the news. Have followed him for years since Strictly, an amazing talent. RIP.’
He spent his final days enjoying a safari as well as the sunny beaches of Cape Town. But the dancer’s smiles belied his emotional anguish.
This week, the Mail revealed that Robin died with just £879 in his company’s business account years after he pulled in £100,000 a year as a Strictly star and was once paid £10,000 to dance for two minutes.
The tragic entertainer’s own firm had not traded for some time and according to Companies House Records was facing an ‘active proposal’ to be struck off, records show.
The company Happy Feet Creative Limited was owed almost £5,000 the last time it filed accounts, but owed creditors £15,000, meaning it was £8,350 in the red.
A heartbroken Susanna Reid fought back tears on yesterday’s Good Morning Britain on ITV after learning of Robin’s death
Robin Windsor dazzles in a blue ensemble during his recent cruise ship travels
Robin Windsor had been spending some time in Cape Town when the cruise ship docked, writing online: ‘This place is the distraction of all distractions.’
Robin is pictured here three weeks ago in South Africa where he was dancing on a cruise ship travelling around the world
At the height of his celebrity in 2015 and 2016 he held more than £23,000 in the company and advanced himself £35,000 from the company, which was repaid.
The company had channelled earnings from a ‘wide variety of contracts to provide performing arts services within the media industry’, paperwork said.
In recent months Robin had been working on a Fred Olsen Cruise – alongside fellow Strictly professional Gordana Grandosek Whiddon – and posted pictures of himself when the boat docked in South Africa.
He had previously been a director of Caffe Italia in south London, with close friend Marco Bertarini.
Saddened Bertarini has posted a series of pictures of the pair together on Instagram.
He wrote: ‘My heart is broken I always loved you and always will goodbye amore.’ He wrote: ‘My heart is broken I always loved you and always will goodbye amore.’
More recently Robin had been starring in Come What May, a Moulin Rouge tribute show.
He previously told how he was paid £100,000 a year during his time on Strictly which came to an end after the 12th series in 2014.
He also recalled one time he earned ‘silly money’, telling This Is Money: ‘My dance partner and I were once paid £10,000 each to stay in a luxury resort in Mauritius for a week and dance the cha-cha-cha at an event. Our dance lasted two minutes.’
He remembered in September 2022 that the ‘best’ year of his financial life was 2010, ‘my first year on Strictly Come Dancing’.
He said: ‘All of a sudden, I was earning money I had only dreamt about. I probably made about £100,000 that year – not just from Strictly but from work off the back of the show such as the tour and private performances.
‘When you’re on prime-time TV, everyone wants a little slice of you.’
Speaking about his Strictly exit last year, Robin said he became so ‘bitter’ about not being allowed to return that he couldn’t bear to watch it.
‘I got to dance and show 13million people every single week what it was that I love to do. So, once that was taken away from me, I went into quite a steady decline.
‘I was sad. And, I know we all have our dark days, but my dark days turned into dark weeks and I wouldn’t get out of bed. I didn’t really understand why I was feeling like that or how to get out of that state’.