Strictly Come Dancing professional Robin Windsor was discovered dead in a hotel room in February 2024, and his close friend and former dance partner Lisa Riley later honoured him with an emotional tribute on Loose Women.
An emotional Lisa Riley has spoken out publicly for the first time since the inquest into the death of Robin Windsor.
The former Strictly Come Dancing professional, who appeared on the show between 2010 and 2023, was just 44 when he was found dead in a hotel room in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, in February 2024.
Lisa and Robin formed a close friendship after being paired together during the 2012 series of the hit BBC dance competition. The Emmerdale star previously described him as her “rock” and “best friend” during a particularly difficult time in her life.
An inquest heard that Windsor had struggled with mental health issues, financial pressures and feelings of “imposter syndrome” after his departure from Strictly.
Following his passing, Lisa has used her platform to support mental health causes, becoming an ambassador for SANE in a bid to “keep his sparkle alive”, according to the Mirror.
Speaking about Robin’s death on Tuesday’s (February 13) edition of Loose Women, alongside Kaye Adams, Coleen Nolan and Janet Street-Porter, Lisa Riley became visibly emotional as she reflected on her close bond with Robin Windsor.
She said: “He was my one-in-a-million friend. From the moment we met, I just knew he was like my firework — the male version of me.
“It’s been incredibly difficult since he passed. It’s now been two years — last Thursday marked the anniversary — and I still find myself thinking, ‘How have I lost someone so special?’ and ‘Why was his life cut so short?’ He was far too young to die.”
Lisa went on to explain: “I’ve always struggled with trust, but with him it was different. No matter the time — even if it was 3:10 in the morning — I knew he would answer the phone. And I would have done exactly the same for him.”
“It was a friendship unlike any other,” Lisa said. “At his funeral, I remember asking, ‘Why wouldn’t he want to be here anymore?’ Suicide is so incredibly difficult to process because you can’t truly understand why someone feels they need to end their life.”
When asked whether she still talks to her late friend, Lisa Riley replied: “Yes. I’ve always loved sparkle and glamour, and he really celebrated that side of me.
“He encouraged that sparkle — that disco energy that was so him — and that’s the legacy he leaves behind. I’ll always carry him with me.
“I’ve said before that he’ll be my companion throughout life’s journey. He’s still with me, and I want to honour that forever. If that means supporting others who are struggling with mental health, then that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do.”
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