‘Britain’s Got Talent’ bosses have paid tribute to former Diversity dancer Robert Anker, who died in a car crash on Thursday (27.07.17).
The dance star won the third series of the ITV show with his former troupe in 2009 and was just 27 years old when he passed away from injuries sustained in the collision in Canada, where he had moved after he married his partner Cyndi last year.
On Saturday (29.07.17), a message of support was posted on the official Twitter account of the show, which said: "We are so sorry to hear of the loss of Robert Anker, our thoughts and condolences go out to his friends, family and the whole of Diversity. (sic)"
Robert was a founding member of the group alongside Ashley Banjo, who re-tweeted a tribute from Diversity’s twitter page which praised the talented dancer and said he was taken "far too soon."
They said: "A former member of our group has tragically passed away. He inspired so many with his talent and was taken far too soon. R.I.P Rob (sic)"
Robert’s death was confirmed by his cousin Rochelle Hanson on Friday (28.07.17) when she set up a JustGiving.com page to help raise funds for the star’s funeral, and to fly his family out to Canada.
The page reads: "Weʼre raising £5,000 to support the sudden loss of Robert Anker. To provide money for his funeral, flights from Canada and food for his family at this tragic time.
"On 27th July 2017, Robert Anker aged 27 was involved in a fatal car accident in Canada and sadly passed away at the scene.
"We are raising funds for his family to be able to cover all costs for their trip to go and arrange his funeral in Canada.
"We would love to ensure that his family don’t worry or stress about money at this time."
The page has a target of £5,000, and at the time of writing, 299 supporters have managed to help them reach their goal and raise an impressive £7,205.
York Regional Police in Canada said the crash happened on July 27 just before 06:00 local time (11:00 BST), when a Chevy Cobalt collided with a Ford F550 pick-up truck.
They confirmed the 27-year-old driver of the Chevy died at the scene, while the driver of the truck was uninjured.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British man in Canada. We are providing assistance to his family at this sad time".
Britain’s Got Talent bosses pay tribute to Diversity star Rob Anker
