Yahoo News BBC Strictly star Wynne Evans' 'sad' living conditions in house with no windows during at height of success
Away from the glitter and sparkle of the Strictly ballroom, Wynne Evans has been open about facing tough times in his personal life. The opera singer and Go. Compare star is hoping to keep his place in the competition tonight as he takes to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom sprung floor tonight with partner Katya Jones as Strictly Come Dancing heads to the home of ballroom.
Wynne, 52, was left dancing for his spot on the BBC show last week as he ended up in the dance-off against Shayne Ward. And he's the bookies favourite to leave the competition tonight.
With an ever-smiling face, it might be shocking for fans to discover that at one stage, while still in the public eye, Wynne's personal life hit rock bottom. The opera singer has previously spoken about living in a "sad", derelict house with "no glass in the windows" in Cardiff.
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It was a forced move eight years ago when he purchased the home following his breakup from Tanwen, his wife of 16 years. Although Wynne wanted to remain in their shared family home with daughter, Ismay, and son, Taliesin, circumstances dictated otherwise.
Reflecting on this period during The Starting Line podcast with Rich Leigh, he said: "It was a really sad house, because it was derelict, and I moved here after a divorce. I didn't want to move here, I wanted to stay married. So I bought it and it just became sad. It was a sad place."
He disclosed that the windows were boarded up due to a lack of glass, but the property was the size he needed and all he could afford. He added: "I was living in a bedroom, bearing in mind I'm presenting everyday on Radio Wales, I was doing GoCompare, I was doing all these things and people thought I was successful but I was living in a bedroom with no windows, with no glass in them."
When his children came to visit, he said they had to sleep in tents. So he prioritised their bedrooms and installed new heating after the old system blew up. "I said to the estate agent, 'this is not for me this house, this house is definitely not for me'. The house was an absolute tip, the garden was beautiful, I don't know what the guy was doing here before. It was just terrible."
Since taking the plunge, Wynne has dedicated himself to restoring the period property, and now each room reflects his distinctive and eccentric style. The star has found love again, with events manager Liz Brookes, 50.
