Strictly’s Wynne Evans says he ‘did some stupid things’ in a frank confession about his mental health during his darkest period.
Broadcaster and TV star Wynne Evans is currently taking part in Strictly Come Dancing where he is paired with professional dancer Katya Jones. Although the pair have endured a turbulent period on the show after they came under fire for a ‘hand incident’ that went viral, Wynne is generally seen on the live shows with a wide grin on his face.
Indeed his public persona has long been that of an amiable, jolly chap since he shot to fame in the Go Compare adverts as the Italian opera singer Gio Compario. However, for a long period when he was appearing on TV and broadcasting on the radio for BBC Wales, Wynne was privately fighting a huge personal battle and one that almost had a tragic ending.
To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week earlier this year, he explained to BBC Radio Wales that he reached rock bottom following the breakdown of his marriage in 2016 when he and his now ex wife Tanwen, who he shares two children with, divorced. The split plunged him into a dark depression that he saw no way out of.
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BBC)"It was almost like grief, but you can't grieve for somebody that's still there. So, it really affected my mental health, my confidence and my ego - it totally changed me as a person," he shared. "It made me very aware of being alone. And, even though I was only 46, I had this irrational fear of dying on my own. I had very dark thoughts and very dark days where I would contemplate all sorts of terrible things. I think it's obvious what I'm saying, but I don't want to say it because some people find it distressing. I'm fine to talk about it now, but at that time nothing would help me. I realised that I wanted my life to be over and I did some stupid things," he confessed.
Wynne has previously revealed how he had to maintain his public persona while dealing with such grave personal issues. "I was doing a daily radio show where the feel of it is upbeat and keeping people in a good mood and cheering up the nation," he told WalesOnline . "The strapline of my show is, 'cheering Wales up by one o'clock,' but I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression... I couldn't see a way out; I couldn't see a way of ever being happy again."
Thankfully the tenor realised he needed professional help so began seeing a psychiatrist and was prescribed antidepressants. He also embarked on a health and fitness journey which started by taking walks in the fresh air to clear his head and led onto his love of running on a treadmill in his house. "So if I’m at home and feeling a bit down I do 20 minutes on the treadmill and it’s the best way to make myself feel brighter," he said. "It's like singing, which also releases endorphins in the body
If you need to talk to someone about anything mentioned in this article, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day by calling 116 123.
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