Yahoo News Actor Will Mellor opens up about trauma of his father dying during the coronavirus pandemic
Will Mellor has opened up about his father dying during the coronavirus lockdown which has meant he’s not been able to hug his mum.
The actor appeared on Loose Women today (18 May) and spoke about his dad, who died after a short illness last month.
Talking about the the tragedy, Mellor said: “It just ripped us apart, especially in these circumstances. It’s never a good time to lose somebody like that.
Read more: Will Mellor says it’s been ‘the worst week of my life’ after death of father
“I couldn’t even hug him or hug my mum. I had to go round there and break down in the corner of the garden. My sister was in the other corner, just a really, really tough time. It just made a hard time even harder.”
Talking about the moment his dad fell ill, the 44-year-old said: “I got a phone call out of the blue that he collapsed, he’d had a seizure.
“Then he got taken in, then they found a mass on his lung and it had gone to his brain, and that was what was causing the seizure, and it was cancer. He died within two weeks.”
Mellor revealed he looked up to his father and they spent a lot of time together when he was well.
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He said: “I did a lot with my dad, he was my hero. I’d been dreading the day he’d pass away for a long time, so I thought, ‘We have to make sure we fill in the pages now and go and do things.’
“We went everywhere together, went to Vegas, watched boxing, went to stay with people in Borneo, went to see orangutans, I have amazing memories.
“He said to me a lot, ‘When I go, don’t be too upset, I’ve had a great life.’… That’s what is keeping me together, the memories.
“I’m glad I had those things with him and that’s where I’ll be getting my strength from in the future.”
Read more: Andrea McLean reveals she suffered breakdown last year
The Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star also encouraged other men to speak out about their feelings as part of Loose Women’s Stand By Your Men campaign.
He said: “I just wanted to speak today to say it is ok not to be ok… it’s ok to reach out. I’ve had amazing support.”
Loose Women is on weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV
