Will Mellor broke down in tears while appearing on the Happy Place podcast, speaking about doing "the wrong thing" after the tragic death of his sister, before learning from his mistakes when he later suffered the loss of his father.
The actor, from Bredbury in Stockport, has been taking TV roles since 1990, when he was first credited as 'William Mellor' playing Ben Rowlingson in Children's Ward, the ITV children's drama filmed in Bolton from 1989 to 2000. Memorable roles in Hollyoaks, where he played James 'Jambo' Bolton, and as Gaz Wilkinson in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps followed, and he has remained a regular on the small screen since, including appearing in Coronation Street as Harvey Gaskell in recent years.
Opening Up About Personal Loss
Away from his career, Mellor has suffered a number of heartbreaking moments in his personal life, which he discussed in his new memoir, Where There's A Will: My Story by Will Mellor. The book marks his 50th birthday and tells his life story from his early years growing up on a council estate to his varied and successful showbiz career.
Mellor faced the death of his sister, Joanne, after she suffered a heart attack in 2012, aged 44. He told the Happy Place podcast how he "slipped into a dark place" and "wasn't a good person" after her death.
Struggling After Sister's Death
"I slipped into depression after that, and I wasn't a good person," he told host Fearne Cotton. He continued: "I never thought I would find myself in that cloud and not see colour any more. Because I couldn't protect her [his late sister] any more, I couldn't change it. And that's what the killer is, because I always thought I could fix things, I will do anything to help people if I can – and I couldn't help her."
The 50-year-old added: "I just did the wrong thing. Drinking, gambling, trying to find a high in life, which sent me further down the hole. I hated myself for it. But I got through it. My wife got me through it."
Learning From His Father's Death
Tragedy struck again when Mellor's dad, Bill, died of cancer in April 2020, just two weeks after he was rushed to hospital following a seizure. Mellor previously said that cancer was found in his lung and had spread to his brain.
The former Hollyoaks favourite went on to tell Fearne: "When my dad passed I saw the signs and didn't go that deep. Obviously lockdown didn't help, when you don't have to be up in the morning there's no excuse not to have a few drinks. You have a word with yourself, I was sick of feeling rubbish and now I feel great."
When Mellor became emotional during the conversation, he admitted: "I struggle with my emotions, they are on the surface all the time and when I talk about these things its because I care and I can't help it."
