Strictly Come Dancing star Robin Windsor, who died earlier this week, was reportedly found dead after his close friends launched a frantic search for him after he went missing.
The 44-year-old appeared as a professional dancer on the BBC competition between 2010 and 2014, and was tragically found dead at a London hotel on Monday.
Fellow Strictly star and long-term friend Vincent Simone has since claimed someone close to the dancer started frantically ringing his friends when he was nowhere to be seen.
Heartbreakingly, they found him too late and the troubled Latin and ballroom star was dead when they got to him. His cause of death hasn't been disclosed to the public.
Simone, who has known Windsor since he was a teenager, explained how devastated he had been left by the sudden death of his pal.
The Italian dancer, also 44, commented: “The first thing I thought of when I opened my eyes this morning was Robin. He was the best man I ever met."
Robin Windsor died at the age of 44 this week
Getty
Speaking to The Mirror, he continued: “Robin has had these moments in the past – it was an ongoing problem. 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.”
Windsor was candid with fans about his depression, and while it’s been reported he went on a downward spiral after being axed from Strictly in 2015 due to an injury, Simone went on to say his mental health battle began before the incident.
He also explained Windsor “just wanted to be loved,” as he reflected on the dancer’s failed relationships.
Simone and Windsor had known each other since they were 17
Getty
Following his death, Windsor’s former dance partner Kristina Rihanoff detailed how he had been in “excruciating pain” and struggling ahead of his death.
Posting a lengthy tribute on her Instagram, she explained Windsor had been "absolutely destroyed" after leaving Strictly, and that he had "depression and broken self-worth".
She also noted his “excruciating back pain” which was still causing him to suffer years on from the initial injury.
Reiterating his mental torment, the dancer continued: “Many of you who went to see his farewell tour, know perfectly well that he spoke very openly about his mental health struggles...
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Windsor was found dead in a London hotel on Monday
BBC
"I’m sure it was devastating for anyone who loves 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 to another place rather than stay here. Too much pain too much disappointment, too much neglect." (sic)
Remembering his close friend, Simone went on to tell The Mirror: “Robin was just such a breath of fresh air, he was such a lovely guy.
“Everyone loved him, he had so much love from people. Our business can be fierce, but he was so kind, and never had a bad word for everyone.”