Actor Will Mellor broke down in tears as he recalled depression and the support his wife gave him.
The 50-year-old discussed his grief on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast after losing his sister and father.
Will has played Harvey Gaskell in Coronation Street and Gaz Wilkinson in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. During this conversation, however, he described struggling to get out of bed and feeling unable to help those he loved.
Will Mellor on what helped him cope with depression following family deaths
Will said drinking and gambling had become ways of trying to find relief, but ultimately made him feel worse.
He explained that he could appear cheerful during a trip to the pub while concealing how he really felt. The following morning, the low mood would still be there.
Recognising that those habits were worsening his situation, rather than helping, was part of learning to cope.
“I slipped into depression after that and I wasn’t a good person,” he told Fearne.
Will continued: “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.”
Will also spoke about the importance of being around his children, becoming emotional as he discussed his family.
Will Mellor recalls his final meeting with his father
Will’s father Bill died of cancer in April 2020, just two weeks after his diagnosis.
In an earlier conversation on the Two Pints with Will & Ralf podcast, Will recalled their final meeting.
Bill sat outside the back door while Will remained further up the garden because of coronavirus restrictions.
Will said he did not hug his father that day. It was the last time he saw him, and he later spoke about regretting that missed embrace.
Will’s grief after sister Joanne’s death
Will’s sister Joanne died of a heart attack in 2012, aged 44. She had Marfan syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder, and had experienced several serious health scares.
Speaking to Fearne, Will described finding it difficult to accept that he could no longer protect or help her.
He previously told The Mirror that Joanne received too little prescribed medication during a residential trip before her death.
A 2013 inquest found she died of natural causes, with no evidence that the medication error caused her death. The holiday company acknowledged a mistake, but Will has said the family still has unanswered questions.
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