- stephen mackintosh
- entertainment reporter
Dragon's Den star Deborah Meaden has paid a touching tribute to her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Robin Windsor.
Ms Windsor, who died earlier this week aged 44, appeared on the 2013 series of the BBC One dance show with Ms Meaden.
She said she was “thinking of his family, friends and loved ones.” [who] You will be hurt by the sense of loss. ”
“Robin was a good person,” she continued. “He was kind and incredibly generous, he supported so many charities, helped so many people and gave so much of himself wherever he went.
“He lit up the room with his fun and energy and definitely his sparkle… He was never happier than when he was covered in crystals!
Meaden recalls him as “talented, smart (a great quiz partner), and fun.”
Windsor and Meaden were the fourth couple to be eliminated from Strictly Series in 2013, and also took part in the show's live UK tour the following year.
Meaden recalled: “He taught his mother how to dance for her 80th birthday party, and at her mother's party we were all spinning around on the dance floor…He knew how to make people feel good. I was there.
“He was also complex, human, and candid about the struggles of life after being in the spotlight. Robin, I was lucky to have known you, and it hurts to know that you will be gone.”
During his time on Strictly Come Dancing, Windsor was also paired with Patsy Kensit and Anita Dobson (who both finished eighth), as well as semi-finalist Lisa Riley.
The year after Windsor partnered with Meaden, he was forced to withdraw from the dance series due to a lower back injury.
However, he was never partnered with a celebrity, but returned to the show midway through the 2014 series, appearing in a group dance with other professionals.
He also continued to appear in the Strictly Christmas Special until 2015, competing against Alison Hammond.
After his death was announced, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, judges Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas, and professional dancers Oti Mabuse and Diane Buswell. A huge number of Strictly stars past and present paid their respects to Windsor, including: