BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Kai Widdrington supported as he tells fans 'remember' after loss
Kai Widdrington has been flooded with messages of love and support as he issued a 'reminder' to his fans following a tribute to his late friend who also starred on Strictly Come Dancing.
The professional dancer was among those performing at a special show in tribute to Robin Windsor. The 44-year-old tragically died in February this year with the heartbreaking news seeing an outpouring of grief and shock from the Strictly family - both past and present.
Robin was best known for having joined Strictly 2010 and in his first year, he was paired with EastEnders star Patsy Kensit. The closest he got to winning was coming in fifth place with Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley, with whom he became best friends.
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Months on from his passing on Sunday evening (November 3), a West End show celebrated Robin’s life. Called ‘Robin Windsor The Final Act’, it was organised by Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis with the permission of Windsor's family and all profits from ticket sales went to mental health charity SANE.
The show was hosted by Lisa and Strictly judge Anton Du Beke and featured performances from the latter as well as Kai and his Strictly 2023 dance partner Angela Rippon, Janette Manrara, Aljaz Skorjanec, Lauren Oakely, Nikita Kuzmin and Layton Williams.
Reflecting on the moving event, Kai shared pictures and videos to Instagram and said: "It was an honour to be invited to dance with my wonderful @theangelarippon in honour of Robin Windsor and the charity @charitysane last night at the iconic Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Robin truly lit up the room when he danced and you could feel his presence with us all last night.
"It also highlights the importance of talking when we are going through difficult times in our life, so please remember if you’re having a tough time, don’t brush it under the carpet, speak to someone, talk to a friend or talk to a stranger but keep talking. No matter how dark it may look, there is always light at the end of the tunnel." He added: "Keep talking."
Strictly co-star Gorka Marquez, who was in the audience on the night, was quick to respond and said: "It Was beautiful," while Johannes Radebe and Jowita Przystal left red heart emojis in the comments section.
His fans and followers were also keen to respond. @joannagoody said: "Such an important message, thank you so much for sharing. Glad last night was a special one filled with lots of love." @snowwhitejo commented: "I wish I could have been there to see it. Lovely words Kai, & so proud of you as always. It looks like it was a beautiful night full of love in memory of dear Robin."
@kai_strictlyx wrote: "Just beautiful. So proud of you always. Such a beautiful night in Robin’s honour." @bkstheatrenaturestrictly replied: "Well said. You were both amazing last night! Such a beautiful tribute to Robin." @rachelhutchinson1995 added: "Well said Kai and beautiful tribute."