Former Strictly starJames Jordan has told of his sorrow over the death of pal Robin Windsor, saying he kept his suffering hidden from everyone. He spoke after a jury ruled the dancer’s death was a suicide after hearing how the 44-year-old was “vulnerable to rejection both emotionally and professionally”.

But James, who performed on the show alongside him, said no one really knew Robin was battling demons. He said: “It’s very, very raw because I was very close with Robin and it’s tragic that he got himself in that position and no one really knew. I spoke to him at an event not that long before and he didn’t give off that vibe because he was always so bubbly and so happy. You don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors.”

James, 47,wed to dancer Ola, 43, added: “It’s horrendous that he got to that stage that he was obviously feeling so much pain in his life that he ended up taking it.”

James worked on the show for eight series, appearing from 2006 to 2013, while Robin was on from 2010 to 2013. During his time on the show, Robin danced with actresses Patsy Kensit, 57, Anita Dobson, 76, and Lisa Riley, 49, and Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden, 67.

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The inquest heard how the tragic star left a note to a close friend before his death, which read: “This all actually really started when I lost my place on Strictly and I have been fighting it ever since.”

Robin was found dead in the Hoxton Hotel in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, on February 19, 2024.

He had a blood alcohol level over twice the drink-drive limit and had taken drugs. At his inquest a jury concluded that his death was due to “an accumulation of many attributes to depression”.

James also said he feels sympathy for Strictly bosses, who had made the tough decision to axe Robin. “It’s a difficult one isn’t it because you don’t want to go down the road where people can’t on Strictly say for example it needs a bit of a freshen up...because they fear that they’re going to commit suicide,” he said.

He was speaking as he prepares to return to the dance floor with fellow Strictly stars Brendan Cole, 49, Pasha Kovalev, 46, Vincent Simone, 46, and Ian Waite, 55, in Vegas: After Hours.

And James said they did a tribute to Robin the first time they did the show. He said: "We obviously choreographed a number specifically for him and we know he should’ve been up there with us at the end of the day...so it was quite a moving moment to be able to do that for him every night."

The 30-date tour starts on October 3 in Fareham, Hants, and will weave its way across the UK before ending in Cardiff on November 8. Visit legendsofthedancefloor.com for more details.

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