Behind the sequins and stilettos Strictly might be exhausting graft.
Strictly Come Dancing professional Robin Windsor was discovered lifeless in his resort room in February 2024 (Picture: Getty)
The main points rising from the continuing inquest of former Strictly Come Dancing professional Robin Windsor made for really grim studying once I arrived into work. The star left a damning suicide be aware slamming the BBC, saying the best way he was handled by the company “destroyed” him and and it confirmed one other facet to the glamour and glitz portrayed on the Saturday night time present.
The tragic dancer was discovered lifeless, face down on his resort mattress, on the age of 44 in February 2024. A jury inquest into his dying heard two letters had been discovered close to his physique, and within the first, he was disparaging in regards to the remedy he had acquired from the long-running Saturday night time leisure present. “This all actually began once I misplaced my job on Strictly and have been preventing it ever since. The way in which they handled me destroyed me…It began me on the highway I’m nonetheless on,” he wrote.
Nonetheless the be aware goes some option to exhibiting the depth and stress the professionals discover themselves below and the way crushing it’s when they’re now not on it. His former colleague and pal Kristina Rihanoff, 48, informed the listening to he was “extraordinarily upset” after studying he had not been requested again for the 2014 collection and mentioned “the psychological affect was very extreme” as a result of he “couldn’t do what he beloved” as a consequence of his again ache.
He isn’t the primary dancer to battle with departing Strictly. Brendan Cole was on the present for 15 years earlier than he was brutally axed in 2018. Talking on Lorraine, he defined that his departure was an “editorial determination” and admitted he was “in shock”.
“That is fairly exhausting to speak about. The BBC haven’t renewed my contract – we get renewed yr on yr – and so they made an editorial determination to not have me again on the present. I’m a little bit bit in shock. I’m fairly emotional, a bit uncooked about it,” he added. “I’ve at all times identified today would come… I’m certain I’ll by no means know the ins and outs. I’m a really robust character throughout the present, I’ve my robust views.”
In October final yr, he additionally poured chilly water on the “one massive pleased household” picture of the present when, in a chat with Nearer Journal, he confessed he solely “acquired on rather well with about 5” of his movie star companions. He mentioned: “Each professional says they’ve acquired the most effective movie star, and each movie star says they’ve acquired the most effective professional – as a result of that’s what you must say. However that is not at all times the case. […] From my very own expertise over fifteen collection I’d say I acquired on rather well with about 5 of my companions.” He even went as far as to say he hated one – not that you just’d ever have identified from their smiles on a Saturday night time.
Former Strictly professional Brendan Cole admitted he was “shocked” to be axed (Picture: Getty)
In December 2025, one other former professional, James Jordan informed Categorical.co.uk that viewers weren’t seeing the fact of the coaching room. Commenting on the clips proven earlier than every dance, he mentioned: “There’d be occasions, even this yr, the place individuals are strolling out of coaching rooms as a result of they’re annoyed. There’d be tears, there’d be tantrums…Let’s have a look at the actual backstage stuff…”
He additionally acknowledged that the dancers get annoyed by all the additional clips they should shoot alongside making ready their associate for the next week’s present. “I bear in mind once I was on the present, we needed to movie the VTS…typically they’d take you and go, ‘proper right this moment, we’ll go to a good, and we’ll put you on a curler coaster to get you over your worry of the waltz’.
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“I do not get it. Why? However that is what the producers need, however I do not get it. I believe it is silly. So then you definately go and spend half a day trip of coaching the place you need to be engaged on the dance to go and movie a VT.
Whereas Robin’s case is an excessive one and these are just some examples, there is no such thing as a doubt there’s much more occurring behind the glitterball than viewers ever see. Dancers haven’t any job safety, tensions can run excessive and being let go is usually a crushing blow. It’s a stress cooker ready to boil over. If nothing else comes from his inquest, possibly the powers that be will take inventory of the affect leaving the present has on individuals, whether or not by way of harm, as in Robin’s case, or due to choices made within the boardroom, like Brendan. Then it might be a more healthy and happier present for everybody.
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