BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro Robin Windsor's cause of death after tragic end aged 44

Robin Windsor was a dance professional on the BBC show between 2010 and 2013 (Image: GETTY)

Heartfelt tributes to late Strictly Come Dancing star Robin Windsor were quick to flood in after his death at the age of just 44 was announced in February.

Windsor took to the floor as one of Strictly Come Dancing’s professionals between 2010 and 2013 and, despite not winning the show, he became a popular fan favourite.

During his time on the BBC One show, he was partnered with Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden, actress Anita Dobson, actress Lisa Riley and model Patsy Kensit.

While the details of his death have not been officially confirmed, tributes from friends noted Windsor had been struggling in the wake of his Strictly exit and reported he had spoken openly about his mental health struggles.

Kristina Rihanoff, fellow Strictly professional and dance partner of Windsor, shared an emotional message on Instagram following confirmation of his death.

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Windsor did not return to the show in 2014 after struggling to recover from a back operation (Image: GETTY)

She described how she had been “blown away by his kindness” and remained “deeply grateful” for his support during difficult times on the hit show.

She wrote: “He always found the way to bring my spirit up. However, his own spirit was absolutely destroyed when he was dropped from Strictly, and that’s where I started to see changes in his personality, depression and broken self-worth.”

Windsor abruptly left the dance show in 2014 after struggling with recovery from a back operation.

He had previously shared that he felt he had “no choice” but to leave the series over health and safety concerns, a decision which he said “broke my heart”.

Kristian Rihanoff partnered with Rob Windsor on the show and issued an emotional tribute to the star (Image: GETTY)

Rihanoff's tribute continued: “Many of you, who went to see his farewell tour, know perfectly well that he spoke very openly about his mental health struggles.

“The truth is he was an incredible person and it’s an absolute tragedy that he felt there was no way out.”

Windsor’s family issued a number of statements following his death requesting privacy and calling for an end to “upsetting speculation”.

The family acknowledged Windsor had been a “strong advocate for mental health” and added “the dance world has lost some of its sparkle” following his death.

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