Robin Windsor's tearful phone call to pal as he struggled to get out of bed

21 February 2024 , 13:23

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Robin Windsor made a tearful phone call to his friend just two weeks before his death was announced, one of the late star's pals has claimed.

The Strictly Come Dancing star's death at the age of 44 was announced in the early hours of Tuesday morning and tributes have been pouring in from fans and his former co-stars ever since. One friend of the late dancer has claimed Robin was found dead in a London hotel.

Before his death, Robin spent his final days working on a luxury cruise ship and exploring Africa. Speaking in a new interview, a friend claims Robin called from the cruise and confessed: "I don’t want to come home". The dancer, who was 8,000 miles from his home in London, was apparently reeling from an unknown troubling incident that took place over the New Year period.

"He kept saying that something had happened over New Year but he wouldn’t say what it was," a friend of Robin's has said in an interview. "He sounded absolutely traumatised – whatever had happened must have been truly awful." In the days following the concerning phone call, Robin returned home and was later reportedly found dead in a London hotel.

Robin's friend also touched on how his departure from Strictly Come Dancing impacted the star. Robin became part of the Strictly family in 2010, dancing first with Patsy Kensit and wowing viewers with his partnership Lisa Riley from Emmerdale was amazing, and they finished fifth in 2012. Robin became part of the Strictly family in 2010, dancing first with Patsy Kensit. He had to leave after four years because he got hurt. His dance with Lisa Riley from Emmerdale. However, Robin was forced to quit the BBC dance competition due to injury.

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"Leaving Strictly wasn't my choice. I had a horrible back operation and they decided that they didn't want to ask me back the next year. It was probably for health and safety reasons, in case something happened, but I was physically fit," Robin recalled at the end of 2022.

Robin Windsor's tearful phone call to pal as he struggled to get out of bed

Robin Windsor told a friend he didn't want to come home during his trip abroad (Instagram)

The dancer was thought to be devastated when he left Strictly Come Dancing (BBC/Ray Burmiston)

He also shared how tough it was for him to watch the show after leaving. "One of my best friends Trent Whiddon, who replaced me to dance with Pixie Lott, I wanted to watch and support him, but it broke my heart. I was with Marcus Collins from The X Factor, who was my partner at the time, and said to him, 'I'm really struggling to watch the show'," Robin added.

"He told me the best thing to do was to really get behind and support everybody. He said it was hard for him to watch the success of Little Mix, who beat him on X Factor. He was spot on!" Robin added: "From that day forward I made sure I supported everybody on the show. Being bitter about not being asked back was not going to help any situation. I learnt that was the right thing to do and I thank Marcus for that."

Speaking to the MailOnline regarding Robin parting ways with Strictly, one friend of the late star said: "He never got over it. He was a really nice guy who absolutely loved Strictly and was heartbroken. Robin always lived in hope that he might get invited back to be a professional on the programme, but sadly that wasn’t to be." The pal added: "When Strictly was taken from him, he never really recovered. His entire purpose for being was blown apart. It was all so very tragic."

Robin reportedly struggled with his mental health in the wake of leaving Strictly, struggling to get out of bed and rarely leaving his house. Discussing his experience with poor mental health, Robin said in 2018: "as far as everyone was concerned, I was 'happy Robin' – except to the people I lived with."

The late dancer went on to recall how he once checked himself into a hotel with the intent to take his own life, even writing goodbye letters to his loved ones. A source has since told the MailOnline Robin took a cocktail of drugs but didn't follow through with his plan to end his life after receiving a call from someone with whom he had a love-hate relationship, "and their conversation was enough to save Robin from killing himself."

The tragic news of Robin's passing was shared by Burn The Floor on Facebook in the early hours of Tuesday morning. They said: "The Burn the Floor family has lost one of its founding members, Robin 'Bobby' Windsor - who has tragically passed away." Robin had been with the dance company for twenty years, dancing around the world including Broadway and West End. They described him as "A BTF journeyman he danced with us for twenty years - including Broadway, The West End and all our crazy adventures around the world. His stunning image attached with Jessica Raffa defined our company, colourful, extreme and sensual. His talent, attitude, energy and personality helped create the Burn the Floor stage reputation. He leaves a void in our hearts that will never be filled, yet our wonderful memories will stay forever." The dance company then returned to social media a few hours later, posting another picture of Robin and stating: "Today we all dance for you. Burn The Floor would not be Burn The Floor without you. Fly with the angels Robin. Rest in Peace."

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Strictly star Kristina Rihanoff revealed that Robin had been battling mental health issues for many years and had been open about his struggles. She wrote: "Many of you, who went to see his farewell tour, know perfectly well that he spoke very openly about his mental health struggles and thoughts of suicide. I'm sure it was devastating for anyone who loved Robin to hear something like that, but those thoughts were in his head for quite many years and it's so deeply sad that he felt that he is better off in another place rather than stay here. Too much pain too much disappointment, too much neglect."

Kristina said: "I was asked today to appear on every news outlet, every TV show to pay tribute him to which I said no. Not today, not over zoom saying a couple of words what a great guy he was - the truth is he was an incredible person and it's absolute tragedy that he felt there was no way out. Thank you for everything Robin, rest in peace."

*If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email [email protected]