Will Mellor has reflected on the devastating loss of his sister Joanne, 12 years after her death, and the impact it has had on his mental health.
Joanne passed away in 2012 at the age of 44 in what Will believes were preventable circumstances and admitted that he felt ‘guilty’.
Speaking candidly, Will, 48, revealed how grief and guilt took a toll on him and how he has since become an advocate for mental health awareness.
Joanne, who was disabled, died after a care worker allegedly failed to administer her medication.
Despite taking the case to court, Will said no justice was served, as her disability and pre-existing health conditions were cited as contributing factors.
‘I felt guilty because I was her brother, and I couldn’t help her’, Will told The Mirror, adding: ‘She looked at me – even though I was her younger brother – because she was mentally disabled and physically disabled she was always like a child to me. And that killed me.’
Will Mellor has reflected on the devastating loss of his sister Joanne, 12 years after her death, and the impact it has had on his mental health
Joanne passed away in 2012 at the age of 44 in what Will believes were preventable circumstances and admitted that he felt ‘guilty’
The actor also opened up about how in the past he struggled to process grief, turning to drink and gambling after his sister’s death.
He admitted: ‘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.’
Will’s pain was compounded in April 2020 when his father, Bill, passed away from cancer just weeks after being diagnosed.
The loss was made even harder by strict Covid-19 restrictions at the time. ‘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 said. ‘And 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.’
The actor has since channelled his experiences into advocating for open conversations about mental health, particularly among men who may feel pressure to suppress their emotions.
The Broadchurch star explained how everybody has down days but that nobody should feel bad about that because someone else is probably going through something similar.
He went on to say how talking is ‘massive’ and there is nothing wrong with crying.
It comes after the actor ‘sobbed uncontrollably’ at ‘man camp’ as part of a new TV series.
Speaking candidly, Will revealed how grief and guilt took a toll on him and how he has since become an advocate for mental health awareness
It comes after Will and Ralf Little reunited for a TV show called Will & Ralf Should Know Better where Will broke down about the loss of his father
‘I started talking and from nowhere I just burst out crying,’ will admitted. ‘All these emotions, because I’d lost my dad’ (Pictured with his dad)
Will was reunited with his Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps co-star Ralf Little for a new TV show on U&Dave, called Will & Ralf Should Know Better.
Appearing on This Morning, Will revealed that for one episode the duo went to a ‘man camp’ where he was asked to speak about the last time he was ‘heartbroken’.
‘I started talking and from nowhere I just burst out crying,’ will admitted. ‘All these emotions, because I’d lost my dad.’
Will said the discussion ‘unlocked’ something he had been holding in and had inspired him to seek out therapy to confront his issues.
The actor’s father Bill passed away during the Covid pandemic, just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer in April 2020.
The tragedy happened at the height of the pandemic and nationwide lockdown, meaning Will was unable to be with is family during the incredibly difficult time.
Speaking to Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, Will said: ”I had to speak to a stranger and they said ‘Can you tell this person in front of you the last time your heart was broken’ and I started talking, and from nowhere I just burst out crying.
‘All these emotions, because I’d lost my dad. And I didn’t know this was going to come out and all this stuff came out of me, and I couldn’t stop it.’
He added: ‘I felt so weak at the time, thinking where’s all this come from? I didn’t realise how much I was holding onto.
‘And I suppose that’s what their job is, to unlock the door you didn’t know needed opening.’
Will then admitted he plans to go to therapy to talk through the things he realised he had been holding in.
‘It was tough and I’ve taken that with me now and I’m actually going to start talking to someone,’ he said. ‘Because obviously I’m holding on to stuff I didn’t know I was holding on to.’
Appearing on This Morning, Will revealed that for one episode the duo went to a ‘man camp’ where he was asked to speak about the last time he was ‘heartbroken’
Will said the discussion ‘unlocked’ something he had been holding in and had inspired him to seek out therapy to confront his issues
In response, Dermot added, ‘I could definitely resonate with your emotions and feelings – and I think a lot of middle-aged men will.
‘We don’t talk about things and just someone going on television and saying, ‘Talk about it’ doesn’t work for me, so watching someone else experience it may well do.’
Of the daunting ‘man camp’, Ralf said: ‘I would rather have skydived out of a helicopter, I’d rather do anything. Going into this Man Camp and just looking each other in the eyes to talk about feelings, talk about anything.
‘If we’re honest, I think we both approached it with a bit of cynicism, a bit of, ‘Oh here we go, we’re just making a TV show’.
‘A bit of cynicism, but we were both ever taken aback by how affecting it was.’
The actor revealed he lost his father during the Covid-19 pandemic, as he wiped tears from his eyes (pictured with his dad)
The duo’s new show has already had a huge response with viewers, with Ralph adding: ‘Honestly in terms of the responses that we’ve had on social media, I’ve had some of the most beautiful messages about any job I’ve ever done.
‘Loads and loads of people going, ‘I’ve watched your show and it really made me realise I need to face up to this, or deal with this, or talk about this, or open up’.’
Speaking in 2022 about his dad’s death, Will said; ‘It was a really hard time…it was a horrible time.
‘He was my hero, there was never going to be a good time.’
Pal Ralf also chimed in to the conversation, saying: ‘He was unbelievably open and genuine in talking about it.’
