Lisa Riley’s friend Robin Windsor, aged 44, was found dead in a London hotel in February last year

Lisa Riley attends the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 13, 2018 in London, England.
Lisa said she and her late friend Robin were like ‘Velcro’ (Image: Karwai Tang, WireImagevia Getty Images)

Lisa Riley has opened up about the heartbreaking loss of her best friend and former Strictly Come Dancing partner, Robin Windsor. The actress, who portrayed Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale for nearly three decades, spoke out in an exclusive interview with OK! magazine.

“I lost my best friend,” she told the publication. “I’m so lucky with our dressing room crew at work. Without those girls, some days, I wouldn’t be able to carry on. I put the wig on, the make-up and the costume and be funny, but my heart’s hurting.

“My husband-to-be Al has been amazing, but yes, I lost my gay best friend. He and I were Velcro together.” Robin, aged 44, was found dead in a London hotel in February last year.

Robin Windsor (L) and Lisa Riley attend an after party celebrating the press night performance of 'Burn The Floor' at the Trafalgar Hotel on March 11, 2013 in London, England

Lisa Riley has opened up about the heart-breaking loss of her best friend, Robin Windsor (Image: Getty Images)
His cause of death was not disclosed, but his family previously shared the following statement: “We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and celebration of our beloved Robin.

According to the Mirror, it added: “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.”

Not only was Robin Lisa’s professional dance partner but also her closest confidant. Although Lisa hadn’t had therapy since 2012, she restarted it to cope with her grief.

She continued: “I’d never had therapy since losing my mum in 2012. However, with Robin, I had to start having therapy. It really does work. I lost mum, then Robin, and two and half months after Robin we lost my aunt suddenly when she was on holiday. She died having dinner. It was awful.”

BBC handout photo of Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor dancing during dress rehearsals for the BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing.

Robin was a dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing (Image: PA)However, Lisa did wonder if she should have taken more time off work, adding that she used Emmerdale as a coping strategy.” I put Mandy Dingle’s lashes on and kept going – that’s exactly what I did with my mum,” she said.

“That was my coping mechanism.” Lisa’s thoughts come after she presented a heartfelt tribute to Robin at the British LGBT Awards last June.

During her speech, she said: “I wish he was here, he should be on my arm covered in sparkles and having a ball, but the energy he had is imprinted on my heart.

“He would be shining down and laughing at us. His vibrancy, energy, and zest for life was out there for everyone to see. He wasn’t a hidden gay man, he was a proud, proud gay man.”