A former member of Diversity has died following a car accident in Canada. He passed away on Thursday ( 27 July) as a result of his injuries.

Professional dancer Robert Anker, 27, was one of the original members of the group who won Britain's Got Talent in 2009.

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Lead by Ashley Banjo the dance troupe wowed the talent show's judges including Simon Cowell and went on to achieve global fame.

Appearing on TV shows such as The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, following the success of the Diversity, Anker went onto appear in West End show Thriller and starred in music videos with Paloma Faith and Peter Andre.

More recently he flew out to Cape Town to perform in the latest 'Bring It On' film.

Originally from Essex he moved to Canada last year to marry his fiancée Cyndi.

Shortly before his death he had been enjoying a break in Toronto and just a week ago had shared a poignant selfie with fans she urged them to celebrate life.

"Remember to take time to enjoy the #world," he wrote. "From experience in #travel #business and #dance I've loved every minute of it. Setting new bars and new #goals," he said in what would be his last message.

In an earlier video posted on Instagram he was seen beaming into the camera. He added the caption: "Smiling because I love life."

Simply #smiling because I #love #life

A post shared by Rob Anker (@robanker90) on

His family have said they are 'devastated' following his tragic death in a car crash and are preparing to make the journey to Canada for his funeral

In a statement his cousin Rochelle Hanson said: "The family are devastated. He only just got married in September 2016 to a lovely Canadian girl and they were starting their new life out there.

"He's been in Diversity, the West End show Thriller and various TV Shows and music videos as well as be part of the new Bring It On film. He was an amazing and talented dancer.

"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."

Anker's family have set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for Robert's family to afford to travel to Canada for their son's funeral The Telegraph reports.

Social media has been flooded with tributes to Anker since news of his tragic death was announced.