BBC Strictly's Will Mellor breaks down after emotional dance in dad's memory

Actor and Strictly Come Dancing star Will Mellor "couldn't speak" as he finished a waltz dedicated to his late father, Bill, on Saturday, November 12. He and Nancy Xu did the classic ballroom dance to The Commodores' Three Times a Lady and when they went to get the judges' feedback the Coronation Street star couldn't get his words out as he stood and sobbed next to his professional dance partner.

The Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star lost his dad Bill in 2020 - shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer - and he has spoken previously about this being part of the reason he joined the dancing show. He also reassured his kids at home that he was okay, despite being extremely emotional and revealed that his dad would sing the Commodores track to his wife.

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Anton du Beke said the couple's waltz was "immaculate" and Craig Revel Horwood said Will had "done his family enormously proud". He later told co-host Claudia Winkleman: "I just can't talk at the moment." Nancy added they wanted to dedicate the dance to "everyone who had lost a loved one and didn't have the chance to say goodbye". The couple scored an impressive 38 out of 40.

He could barely speak for Claudia (BBC)

Earlier this week Will also got emotional on Strictly spin-off, It Takes Two. Talking to host Rylan Clark about how rehearsals had been going, the 46-year-old actor said: "It's tough, it's good. It's a very emotional song for me. It means a lot to me this song so it's been an emotional day, it has been a bit of a cloud. She's been trying to teach me but I've not been myself."

Nancy and Will (PA)

He also told Hello! earlier this year: "I have been asked [to do the show] before and it scared me. Doing anything like this scared me. I was worried it would have a negative impact on my acting career and then I lost my dad in 2020 and my mindset completely changed.

"I just thought you've got to grab life. You've got to do things and I'm going to say yes to more stuff and create memories and that really is what life's about. And you realise that when you start losing people and that this is what life's about."

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