Wynne Evans may be all smiles when he's on the dance floor - but the star's past is shrouded in sadness.
Best known for his role in the infamous Go Compare ads, the 52-year-old opera singer has come on leaps and bounds since starting Strictly. Last week, he scored an impressive 33 points for his quickstep to Mr Blue Skies by Electric Light Orchestra along with pro dancer Katya Jones - ranking 4th in the leaderboard.
The duo are busy rehearsing for the show's iconic Halloween Week, where they are slated to take on the Salsa to Canned Heat by Jamiroquai. Despite having some harsh criticism from the judges, Wynne is determined to live every day to the full - after hitting rock bottom almost a decade ago.
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Gordon Maw <gordon@mawcomms.co.uk>)The star's marriage broke down back in 2016, which he describes the subsequent dark period as 'the saddest (he had) ever been in (his) life'. "I would think about (suicide), I would try and action it," said the 52-year-old. "I couldn't see a way out, I couldn't see a way of ever being happy again."
Matters came to a head one Easter Sunday, when the star realised he needed to turn his life around. "I was feeling suicidal, and it was terrible," he said. "I just thought: 'I'm either going to do something terrible or I need to go and see a proper psychiatrist." Thankfully the father of two, better known for playing tenor Gio Compario in the Go.Compare adverts, sought professional help. He started to put his life back together and was prescribed medication, saying he felt 'much better, practically instantly'.
Wynne is a big advocate for opening up about mental health battles and nowadays he says his depression and anxiety is his 'superpower'. "I had bad anxiety and I used to get stage fright, and I think it's made me a much better person actually," he said.
"I'm much kinder, much more patient, I try and live every day to the fullest and really enjoy myself." Wynne, who weighed 23 stone at his heaviest, decided to overhaul his physical health too and has since lost five and a half stone. He says he feels 'great'.
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"I feel amazing; I can dress smarter, I can be smarter," Wynne said. "I mean, if you're happy being a bigger person, that's great, that's fantastic, but for me, it has just made me feel so much better. I feel alive again, and I feel like I can do anything now."
The singer, who hosts a BBC Radio Wales show, was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Platinum Jubilee Honours List. He would love to take on a bigger show on a station like Radio 2. Looking back, he feels shooting to fame as the Go.Compare man was a double edged sword. "I was in people's houses 24/7," he said. "I've got to be honest, people were annoyed by the advert and I was devastated."
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Strictly Come Dancing airs every Saturday on BBC One.
A version of this article was first published on September 21, 2024.
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