Amy Dowden has opened up about the death of her former Strictly Come Dancing co-star Robin Windsor, who passed away at the age of 44 in February.
The dancer appeared on ITV's Lorraine on Tuesday morning, sharing an update on her cancer journey after recently revealing that "no evidence of disease" was found during her latest health check.
After explaining that she'll have to undergo monthly injections and regular hospital check-ups over the next five years, the conversation turned to the impact of Robin's untimely passing.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"It must have hit you really hard?" asked host Lorraine Kelly.
"He's such a beautiful soul," responded Amy, before going on to say: "I know it's made a huge impact on the Strictly family and I just hope he knows how loved he was."
Revealing that she recently saw Robin perform in the national tour of Come What May, a tribute to Moulin Rouge, she continued: "He made the whole room light up and I loved watching him perform and saw him recently in Come What May in Wolverhampton with my friends."
© Dave Benett"He was just phenomenal and it's been a big shock and caused a big impact. He will always remain part of the Strictly family."
The sad news of Robin's death was announced by Burn the Floor, a dance company of which Robin was one of the founders, in a statement that praised the dancer's "talent, attitude, energy and personality". "He leaves a void in our hearts that will never be filled, yet our wonderful memories will stay forever," it read.
Later that day, Susanna Reid reported on the story on Good Morning Britain and became emotional as she remembered dancing with Robin in 2011 during a Strictly special for Children in Need. Watch the moment in the video below.
While his cause of death has not been revealed, Robin's family have released a statement asking for the "constant" speculation to stop.
Sharing their appreciation for the "love" from fans, they said: "We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and celebration of our beloved Robin."
© Getty"While we understand that there is a huge public and media interest around his passing, we as a family need time to process our shock and grief.
"We ask for the needs of our family and friends to be taken into consideration and for our privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We would ask that the constant media speculation stop. As we have further information we will share a statement in due course."
© GettyRobin first joined Strictly back in 2010 and competed as a professional until 2014, when he departed the show following a back injury.
During his time on the programme, Robin danced with the likes of Anita Dobson and Lisa Riley, and Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden.
