Will Mellor lost both his father and his sister, and gave guidance to others in similar situations while opening up about his past struggles and his decision to get counselling

Strictly Come Dancing star Will Mellor, 48, has shared his support for people experiencing grief, after losing both his sister and his father.

The actor’s older sister, Joanne, died at the age of 44 in 2012, with Will admitting he still suffers with feelings of guilt from her passing. In 2020, his dad, Bill, died just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer, with the introduction of Coronavirus restrictions making the loss even more difficult.

Coronation Street star Will openly spoke about how he processed the heart-breaking deaths of his family members, and described how he’d encourage others to cope with similar events. “The advice I’d give is when I lost my dad I just cried when I felt like crying, I let it out. I didn’t hold it in, I just let it out,” he shared while talking to the Mirror.

Will advised others to let their emotions out when suffering, and shared that after starting counselling he hoped that things could ‘only get better’ for him (Image: Instagram – willmellor76)

In comparison, the actor revealed how he bottled up his emotions after Joanne’s death in order to put up a strong front, but ultimately ended up suffering more. He said: “I think with my sister I held it in, I tried to protect everybody else from grieving. I pretended I was okay when I was dying inside.

“I think talking is massive, you have to talk. If you’re struggling it’s okay not to be okay – and I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I’ve said it a lot about mental health awareness. It’s okay not to be okay.”

While Will has now learned to be open and honest with his emotions, he also detailed how Joanne’s death initially led him down a dark path. “It’s really tough. Grief has a way of surprising you, it hides away. I thought that I was okay, I grieved the loss of my sister not too well. I turned to drink and gambling and all the things that I would advise against. But I didn’t know what to do,” he admitted.

Will has won over fans by healthily sharing his emotions on TV, with the musician having let tears fall on Strictly after dedicating a dance to his dad. Similarly, he received an outpouring of admiration from viewers after breaking down on his show Will and Ralf Should Know Better, which he hosts alongside his Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps co-star Ralf Little.

Speaking of his overwhelming emotions while talking about his dad on Will and Ralf Should Know Better, he said: “Obviously it was important to leave it in the show. There are other people who will be going through that, and they’ll feel that it’s okay, it’s normal. That’s what grief is.”

Will also shared: “I’m now actually seeing somebody, I’m going to counselling, because when that came out I realised that there’s a lot inside me I need to talk about. So I’ve started counselling, and I’m not ashamed to say that… I started it just the other week and I’m going to continue it, even when I feel good.

He stressed the importance of everyone facing up to their emotions, adding: “Yeah, I’m an alpha male man and I have issues. What’s wrong with that? I’ve been through quite a bit. So we’ll find out how it goes, but it can only get better.”