How Wynne Evans battled depression and loneliness before helping others struggling with mental health - as star is announced for Strictly READ MORE: The FULL Strictly Come Dancing lineup so far Have YOU got a story? Email [email protected] Are you struggling with your mental health? For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org By Chikamso Chukwuenyem For Mailonline Published: 07:17 EDT, 7 August 2024 | Updated: 07:23 EDT, 7 August 2024 e-mail View comments Wynne Evans delighted fans on Tuesday when it was revealed he's competing on Strictly Come Dancing.
The Welsh opera singer, 52, is known and beloved by millions in the UK as the former face of GoCompare, playing Gio Compario, an eccentric Italian tenor with a long and twirly moustache. Yet away from the camera, Wynne was struggling with his mental health and battled depression and loneliness for years before opening up about his struggles in a bid to help others. In May, Wynne revealed he had lost more than seven stone after hitting 'rock bottom' in the midst of his depression , stemming from the end of his marriage to Tanwen in 2016.
To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, Wynne told BBC Radio Wales of the split: '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.' How Wynne Evans battled depression and loneliness before helping others struggling with mental health ahead of signing up for Strictly Come Dancing Wynne, 52, has become the third contestant to be confirmed for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing after overcoming a years-long mental health battle Wynn continued: '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.' Wynne shared that, realising he needed help, he booked to see a psychiatrist and began taking medication.
He also said that fresh air and exercise aid him in keeping the depression at bay, but readily acknowledged that this may not work for everyone. During an appearance on This Morning that April, Wynne said: ' I've always been fat, I thought ''I've gotta do something''. I was having trouble washing and getting up the stairs.
My mental health hasn't been great in the last five or six years, and it really helped.' The father-of-two went on to say that he continued working on the radio during the difficult time: 'The strapline of my show is, "cheering Wales up by one o'clock," but I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression'. 'I would think about (suicide), I would try and action it.
.. I couldn't see a way out; I couldn't see a way of ever being happy again.
' In a chat with Mind - the mental health charity - he explained: 'On paper I had everything, a good job, I was on the radio every day, I worked for GoCompare...
'But the reality was very different, I felt alone, I could feel alone in a room full of people.' Wynne is known and beloved by millions in the UK for portraying Italian tenor Gio Compario, the former face of GoCompare, a Welsh financial services comparison company He also offered tips on coping mechanisms for those struggling, saying: 'It’s the tiny things that help, it’s a tiny thing to just pick up the phone or pop next door and ask "How are you?", it's tiny, but it’s so important'. The Welsh tenor had a successful career before his advert starring role.
He was cast as Ubaldo Piangi, in the 25th Anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall and has sung at 30 Welsh international rugby matches. Read More Celebrity MasterChef winner Wynne Evans admits he 'contemplated suicide' before appearing on the show 'I had no idea that the commercials were going to become so massive, but they have completely changed my life,' told MailOnline. 'Now, I have financial security, an album deal, a little bit of celebrity, everything you dream of.
' The adverts featuring the opera-singing mascot have previously been named the number one most annoying advert in the UK. Famous for singing the earworm-inducing jingle, Wynne was surprised to discover what a negative reaction people had to his character. He said: 'It did bother me at first as it's horrible to read that people don't like you but no one has come up to me and said, "I hate you".
' ‘I thought they’d stop making the ads. But I got on the phone to the advertising people and they were delighted' Back in 2011 there was a Facebook page entitled ‘Go Compare, Go Compare, Give me a bat to kill the t**t at Go Compare’, which attracted 257,000 members. Wynne won Celebrity MasterChef in December 2023, beating out Emmerdale's Amy Walsh and Love Island's Luca Bish.
Wynne revealed he had lost more than seven stone after hitting 'rock bottom' in the midst of his depression, stemming from the end of his marriage to Tanwen in 2016 (right in 2021) Winning MasterChef in December 2023 was a big and 'poignant' turning point for win who said: 'Six years ago I was contemplating...
well, I tried to take my own life and now look at me' And, after his win, Wynne told how the honour was an especially 'poignant moment' for him seeing as he tried to take his own life six years previously , reported The Mirror . Wynne said: 'When they gave me the trophy - I’ll just get melancholy for a moment, right - I remember thinking: "Six years ago I was contemplating..
. well, I tried to take my own life and now look at me. '"I’m standing here in a studio with the MasterChef trophy.
" It was a really poignant moment for me.' Wynn will next be seen on TV when Strictly Come Dancing returns this autumn. Also confirmed to appear on the BBC show are JB Gill, Chris McCausland, Toyah Willcox, BBC Radio's Dr Punam Krishan, Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, and reality star Pete Wicks.
For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Line-up Hannah Waddingham Age: 50 Profession: Actress Tasha Ghouri Age: 25 Profession: Love Island star and model Pete Wicks Age: 35 Profession: TOWIE star Paul Merson Age: 56 Profession: Former footballer and Sports pundit Ralf Little Age: 44 Profession: Actor Sarah Millican Age: 49 Profession: Comedian Nick Knowles Age: 62 Profession: TV presenter Shona McGarty Age: EastEnders star Profession: 32 Jordan North Age: 34 Profession: Radio DJ Pearl Mackie Age: 27 Profession: Doctor Who star Janet Street-Porter Age: 77 Profession: Loose Women panellist Dame Laura Kenny Age: 29 Profession: Olympic cyclist Shobna Gulati Age: 57 Profession: Actress Jermaine Jenas Age: 41 Profession: The One Show host Duncan James Blue member Duncan James (L) also appeared on the alleged list alongside The One Show's Jermaine Jenas (R) Age: 46 Profession: Blue star Kia Pegg CBBC actress Kia Pegg (L) has also been tipped alongside comedian Sunil Patel (L) Age: 24 Profession: Actress Chris McCausland Age: 47 Profession: Comedian Tyger Drew-Honey Age: 28 Profession: Actor Advertisement Strictly Come Dancing Share or comment on this article: How Wynne Evans battled depression and loneliness before helping others struggling with mental health - as star is announced for Strictly e-mail Add comment.
