Will Mellor has revealed his heartache at losing his father during the coronavirus lockdown.
The actor’s dad Bill died suddenly last month, just two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer, and Will was unable to comfort his grieving family due to social distancing guidelines.
Appearing on Monday’s episode of Loose Women, the 44-year-old Broadchurch star revealed the family were ‘ripped apart’ by their grief and being forced to keep their distance amid the pandemic.
Grieving: Appearing on Monday’s episode of Loose Women, Will Mellor revealed his heartache at losing his father during the coronavirus lockdown
Talking about the moment his dad fell ill, Will revealed: ‘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.
‘It just ripped us apart, especially in these circumstances. It’s never a good time to lose somebody like that.’
Explaining that the lockdown restrictions only made things worse for the family, he added: ‘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.’
Heartbreaking: The actor’s dad Bill died suddenly last month and Will was unable to comfort his grieving mother due to social distancing guidelines (pictured with his parents in 2017)
Will added that he had been unable to hug his father in the hospital before his untimely death, but took comfort in knowing his dad had lived a happy life.
The Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star recalled: ‘[Dad] 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.’
Emotional: The 44-year-old Broadchurch star revealed the family were ‘ripped apart’ by their grief and being forced to keep their distance amid the pandemic
Tragic loss: Will added that he had been unable to hug his father in the hospital before his untimely death, but took comfort in knowing his dad had lived a happy life
Will, who has been supporting Loose Women’s Stand By Your Men mental health campaign, went on to reveal that he was immensely grateful for the support he has received from his immediate family in recent weeks.
Father-of-two, Will, met wife Michelle McSween in 1999 when they starred together in the stage musical Oh, What A Night.
The couple tied the knot in 2007, and now have two children together: Renee, 12, and Jayden, 16.
Family: Father-of-two, Will, married wife Michelle McSween in 2007 and now have two children together: Renee, 12, and Jayden, 16
He explained: ‘I’ve got my wife and my kids and you get a lot of support from your loved ones.
‘I’ve had support from friends, extended family, people I don’t really know that well. I try to be positive on social media.
‘I found myself in a dark place, so I thought I’d be a hypocrite if I don’t talk about it.
‘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.’
Grieving: Will announced his father had died last month in an emotional video, when he asked his Twitter followers, ‘What do you do when you lose your hero?’
Will announced his father had died last month in an emotional video, when he asked his Twitter followers: ‘What do you do when you lose your hero?’.
In the heartbreaking video filmed in his garden, Will said: ‘It’s just the hardest time. It’s horrendous. What do you do when you lose your hero?
‘I also know there are a lot of people who are going through this out there. I just want you to know I feel your pain.
‘We’ve just got to try and stick together and get through it. Try and remember the good times. If you think about my dad, remember the good times.
‘That’s what I’m going to do, and we’ll get through this. That’s it.’
At the start of April, Will shared a video explaining that his father had been rushed to hospital days earlier.
The actor explained how difficult he found it having to stay away from his close family members when his father was so ill.
He said: ‘My instincts were just to get in the car and go, and you realise you can’t.
‘I can’t be there for my mum, can’t go and see my sisters… It’s just brought it all home, what situation we’re in.’
A star: Will is best known for playing Gaz Wilkinson in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps alongside Sheridan Smith and Ralf Little