Strictly dancer's upset at missing mattress in Lowestoft

Robin Windsor returned to his accommodation to find his mattress and bedding missing

A former BBC Strictly Come Dancing star who is gearing up for pantomime returned to his accommodation to find his mattress had been removed.

Robin Windsor, 44, is due to star in Aladdin at the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft from Tuesday.

He said after a "gruelling" day of rehearsals he felt like he was in a "nightmare".

The apartment was organised through Booking.com which apologised and said a full refund would be offered.

Windsor, who was in Strictly between 2010 and 2013, said the duvet had also been taken and he was unable to contact anyone at the booking website or the apartment owners to get help.

He said he and the pantomime's director had been staying at the apartments, close to the theatre, but had been blighted with problems.

The director returned one night to find his belongings had been removed from his apartment, Windsor said.

The pro took part in four seasons of the BBC TV show and specials and his celebrity partners were Anita Dobson (pictured), Patsy Kensit, Lisa Riley and Deborah Meaden

Mr Windsor, who grew up near Ipswich, said he was currently looking for alternative accommodation and had removed his belongings from the apartment.

He said: "It's been a nightmare.

"Panto is one of the most gruelling things ever, all you want is a clean, tidy place and to get into bed."

The experience had been "mentally draining", but he thanked his fellow cast and crew members for "doing their bit to look after me".

"My main concern is I paid £2,000 as I wanted somewhere decent to stay for the length of the panto and it's really tough having spent that money and I'm stuck right now," he said.

"We are about to open. I'm not an actor or a singer, I'm a dancer. I'm having to remember lines and now I'm worrying about where I'm going to live while I'm here.

"The show will go on, but where I'll sleep, I don't know," he added.

Robin Windsor says the whole experience has been "a nightmare"

A Booking.com spokesman said: "We're sorry to hear about the customer's experience in this case; it's definitely not what we want for anyone using Booking.com.

"We have reached out to the customer to support them with a relocation to a different accommodation and we will also be offering a full refund to apologise for the inconvenience."