Will Mellor on the family tragedy that led to his 'terrifying' Strictly experience
EXCLUSIVE: Mr Bates vs The Post Office star Will Mellor has opened up on the family tragedy which motivated him to finally do Strictly.
Gas safety: Get appliances checked
Will Mellor has revealed why he finally said "yes" to Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 after being approached to do the show many times. The Mr Bates vs The Post Office star was paired with pro Nancy Xu and was the 11th celebrity eliminated that season.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk as he gets set to launch a new campaign for the Gas Safe Register he admitted the death of his father finally motivated him to go for it. "I was really proud to be involved with Strictly because it was something I wanted to do [for a while].
"I've got to an age where things have been happening around me - I lost my father and I lost my sister quite a while back - and I just got it into my head you've got to grab life. You've got to do things even if it frightens you.
"And they've asked me to do quite a lot but I was a bit wary of doing it in case it stopped me acting. I thought if people saw me doing that they might not see me for parts.
"But also I was worried about what that show could bring - worried about all the wrong things, basically. But then I just decided to do it," he continued.
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"You've got to grab life and do things, even if that frightens you it can only be a journey that you come out the other end of and go, 'at least, I did it'.
"And I was chuffed to bits with the show. I loved it. And my mum's a big fan of the show, and I wanted to do stuff for her because she's had a tough time of it," he revealed.
Despite loving his time on the BBC Saturday night staple Will also concedes show day was "terrifying". "There's a pressure, and I think there's a bit of respect for anybody who does it.
"Everybody who has done it knows how hard it is. The training - every day it's six, seven hours a day, dancing, training. The weight you lose...you get the nerves for the live show.
"It's terrifying. It really is! But that feeling when you get it right is unbelievable. It's something that I'll never forget," he smiles.
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Will's latest role is far less scary as the actor is providing the voice for a series of tongue-in-cheek public service announcement-style films for Gas Safe Register to help educate the nation about gas safety in the home. Gas Safety Week gets underway across the UK from September 9 – 15 and the films serve to remind householders of the importance of getting their gas appliances checked annually.
The clips wll help share Gas Safety tips such as reminding people to have as appliances safety checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer and how to check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly.
Will has personal experience of ignoring this having arrived home from a winter sun break to discover his boiler had died. "We walked into the house and it was absolutely Baltic. Freezing cold!
"And it was quite late at night and we've got the kids and I was thinking, what are we going to do? We've got no heat in the house. It's one of those things you forget to check up on until it goes wrong. Luckily, I had a number of a guy who lived in a village who could try and fix it and we managed to get it sorted the next day."
Gas Safety Week is taking place 9th – 15th September 2024. To find a local Gas Safe registered engineer in your area and for gas safety tips, visit https://www.
