Actor and Strictly Come Dancing 2022 star Will Mellor has revealed his ambitious plans for the future and says that writing some children's books, penning his autobiography and hosting a travel show are amongst the things on his ‘to do’ list.
In an exclusive interview with TV Times magazine, the 46-year-old says that the death of his beloved father Bill in 2020 has inspired him to let go of his fears and follow his dreams.
Says Will Mellor, “You watch out, I’m coming! I’m doing everything now!
“There are times in your life where it’s like an epiphany, and you go ‘Why was I scared of grabbing things?’ Well, you know why — it’s because you value other people’s opinions so much, or you’re scared of the unknown.
“I’ve got a couple of kids' books I want to do — when my kids were little (Will has a son Jayden, 18, and daughter Renee, 14, with wife Michelle McSween), they didn’t want the books we bought them, they wanted the stories I made up.
“I want to do my autobiography, do more singing, and I want to do a travel show - show how you can go to places but save money. I want to think about the working class because that’s where I’ve come from.
“All I want to do now is grab life and make memories. That’s what my dad would want me to do.
Will has been showing off his moves on the Strictly dance floor in recent months, but he will also be back in Coronation Street next week for another guest stint as Harvey Gaskell.
In what promise to be mesmerising scenes, the incarcerated gangster agrees to a meeting with young Sam Blakeman, whose mother Natasha he murdered last year, and is thrown when the eloquent schoolboy forces him to face his past.
Reveals Will, “At first, Harvey can’t even look at Sam, because it’s that reality check of knowing he killed his mum. He basically says, ‘Let’s get this over and done with and then you can leave me alone.’ But it doesn’t go to plan, because it’s like having a session with a psychiatrist.
“Sam believes no one is born bad and wants to find out why Harvey is the way he is. Harvey starts to crack and get angry because Sam has woken up emotions in him that he has buried deep; stuff about his mum — because he lost his mum when he was a kid — and how he was treated.
“Harvey’s not in control at any point. Sam is in control, and Harvey knows it.”
The actor adds that he has no desire for a long-term role on the soap, insisting it would ‘weaken’ the character if Harvey were to turn his life around and settle on the cobbles.
“I don’t want Harvey to suddenly miraculously get out of prison and be running the Rover’s Return,” he insists. “What I want is for Harvey to be real, and for a message to be sent out that these people are out there, and they don’t care about you or your families or who they hurt if they can run their business through kids.
“It’s important to go, ‘Let’s look out for these kids who could turn into Harvey; kids in care systems, people being brought up by other street kids rather than their families.’
“Know where your kids are and be aware of what they’re up to because they could fall into the wrong hands and you don’t want them to turn out like Harvey has.
“It’s an important message and we don’t want to weaken that.”
Strictly Come Dancing 2022 next airs on Saturday, November 19 at 7.45 pm on BBC One.
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITV Hub.
