Janette Manrara leads BBC Strictly tributes to Robin Windsor as dancer laid to rest at private funeral

Janette Manrara leads BBC Strictly tributes to Robin Windsor as dancer laid to rest at private funeral

WATCH HERE: Death of Strictly star Robin Windsor is 'devastating news' says Stephanie Takyi

GB NEWS
Olivia Ann Gantzer

By Olivia Ann Gantzer


Published: 26/03/2024

- 16:02

The former Strictly Come Dancing star died last month at the age of 44

Strictly Come Dancing stars Janette Manrara and Kevin Clifton have been among the stars to pay their respects to the late Robin Windsor on the day of his funeral.

Windsor, 44, appeared in the BBC series as a professional dancer between 2010 and 2014 before he was found dead in a London hotel room last month.


Strictly duo Manrara and Clifton both shared moving tributes to the dancer on their social media accounts to mark the sad day.

Professional dancer Manrara, who now fronts the show’s spin-off series It Takes Two, shared a collection of snaps of herself with Windsor, while Clifton posted a poignant black and white photo which he captioned simply with a broken heart emoji.

“Love you always," Manrara wrote underneath her gallery of pictures which showed herself hugging the dancer as they smiled for the camera in a series of selfies.

Several other stars from the show took to the comments section to respond to the moving photos.

Robin Windsor and Janette Manrara

Robin Windsor died in February

Getty/ Instagram jmanrara

“Wow. This photo touched my heart," former judge Arlene Phillips penned while Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, who took part in the 2018 series, also responded by leaving the praying hands emoji under the pictures.

Windsor’s family had requested his funeral be a “private affair,” with his loved ones honouring his life.

A family statement obtained by MailOnline read: “The funeral will be a private service for invited family, friends and colleagues who were important to Robin in both his personal life and professional career.

"In the meantime, we once again thank everyone for the love and the memories shared of Robin.

“As a family we also please ask for there to be no further upsetting speculation. We thank you for respecting our continued privacy at this difficult time.”

On February 20, dance company Burn the Floor released a statement to confirm Windsor’s death. It read: “The Burn the Floor family has lost one of its founding members, Robin 'Bobby' Windsor - who has tragically passed away.

“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.”

Kristina Rihanoff and Robin Windsor

Robin Windsor starred in Strictly Come Dancing from 2010 to 2014

Getty

Windsor’s cause of death hasn’t yet been disclosed.

Before his death, the star talked candidly about his mental health struggles.

Speaking last month, fellow past Strictly pro Vincent Simone explained how a close friend of Windsor’s had been calling his friends looking for him before he was found dead.

He told The Mirror: “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.”

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