Strictly dancer lost ‘glow’ after being dropped from show, Riley tells inquest

Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley said her Strictly Come Dancing professional partner Robin Windsor’s “glow had gone” after he was dropped from the show, an inquest has heard.

Windsor was 44 when he was found dead in a hotel room in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, in February 2024.

Riley was Windsor’s dance partner in the penultimate series he appeared on in 2012.

After being paired with Windsor, Riley said they were “joined at the hip”.

“To say we hit it off was an understatement,” the actress said in a written witness statement read to West London Coroner’s Court on Wednesday.

“We were literally joined at the hip.

“I had only just lost my mum in the July. I, myself, was in a very difficult place.

“Robin was my rock.”

The Latin and ballroom dancer joined Strictly in 2010 and danced with actresses Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson and Riley, and Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden in four series until 2013.

He could not perform in the 2014 series because of a back injury and was dropped in 2015, but still appeared in the Christmas special that year, dancing alongside TV presenter Alison Hammond.

“It was from this moment, on to the time of his death, he kept slipping deeper and deeper into depression,” Riley said.

“His glow had gone.”

Actor Terry Gleed, who appeared alongside Windsor in a production of Aladdin at the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft in December 2023, said he felt his co-star was “obsessed” with Strictly.

Windsor, who played the Genie, would have down time during the pantomime show, Mr Gleed told the inquest, and said the dancer would sit on the side lines watching footage of the current series of Strictly on his phone.

“He was looking at his phone continuously, and I could feel he really wanted to be there… he missed it dearly,” Mr Gleed told jurors.

Choreographer Scott Coldwell, who worked with Windsor on a dance show with ex-Strictly stars called Here Come The Boys, said Windsor told him several times that he was “desperate” to go back on Strictly.

Riley recalled how she and Windsor had built up an “incredible trust” and remained friends.

“He literally told me everything,” she said.

“I trusted him and he trusted me.

“There were many, many happy times to begin with and together we did have so much fun.”

Riley said Windsor told her of times of “never feeling good enough” and “imposter syndrome”.

“One night he opened up telling me of the horrific time he was molested by an old dance tutor and (he) felt his parents never really understood this,” she said.

The statement went on: “Robin was and always has been very influenced by other men.

“It became a standing joke that he fell in love after three days.”

Riley said Windsor was insecure about his body and took steroids which, combined with alcohol, would put him in a bad place, jurors heard, and said he was “drowning in debts” and “frantically” spent on designer items he could not afford.

“Money problems also played a part of his darker days,” she said.

“He was drowning in debts which led to weekends I wouldn’t hear from him.”

She said her last contact with Windsor was around Christmas 2023, when they texted after Riley saw him share a “really dark” post on Facebook.

Jurors heard Riley said: “I of course text him straight away and he replied saying he was ‘fine, just usual ups and downs of life’.”

Windsor was meant to feature in the Legends of The Dance Floor tour alongside dancers Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev and Ian Waite in late 2024.

He had been discussing the project with Mr Coldwell just days before his death.

“Legends (the show) was going to be something that regenerated the careers (of the dancers),” Mr Coldwell said, as he recalled a phone call on February 1 2024.

“My last call (with Windsor) was very positive,” Mr Coldwell told the court. The choreographer became emotional when he recalled how the show was set to reboot Windsor’s career.

Windsor died on February 19 2024 after consuming alcohol and drug gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), jurors have heard.

The inquest continues.