Celebrity MasterChef winner and Go Compare advert star Wynne Evans admits he ‘contemplated suicide’ before appearing on the cooking show as he reveals triumph was a ‘poignant moment’ for him
- For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
Celebrity MasterChef winner Wynne Evans has admitted he ‘contemplated suicide’ years before appearing on the BBC show.
The opera singer and broadcaster, 51, beat fellow finalists Luca Bish and Amy Walsh to the top spot on Friday after impressing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with his adventurous menu.
And in a post-show interview, Wynne – famed for the Go Compare adverts – told how the win was an especially ‘poignant moment’ for him seeing as he tried to take his own life six years previously, reports The Mirror.
Sharing his feelings after winning, he said: ‘When they gave me the trophy – I’ll just get melancholy for a moment, right – I remember thinking “Six years ago I was contemplating… well, I tried to take my own life and now look at me. I’m standing here in a studio with the MasterChef trophy”.
‘It was a really poignant moment for me.’
Tough time: Celebrity MasterChef winner Wynne Evans has admitted that he ‘contemplated suicide’ years before appearing on the BBC show
Open: Wynne – famed for the Go Compare adverts – told how the win was an especially ‘poignant moment’ for him seeing as he tried to take his own life six years (pictured in May)
The radio star added he didn’t believe he would win as Emmerdale star Amy ‘had smashed it’, with Wynne overwhelmed by his ‘amazing journey’ on Celebrity MasterChef.
He added: ‘I was crying and all of this kind of stuff, but it was just an amazing journey. It was just an incredible journey. Can you imagine turning up to cook a dessert you’ve never cooked before and then they’re telling you you’re serving it to Raymond Blanc?’
Wynne has previously opened up about his mental health struggles in the past, revealing this year that he was at his lowest ebb after the breakdown of his marriage to wife Tanwen in 2016.
He told BBC Radio Wales: ‘I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression. I would think about (suicide), I would try and action it… I couldn’t see a way out; I couldn’t see a way of ever being happy again.’
Adding he knew he needed to seek professional help, he went on: ‘I was feeling suicidal, and it was terrible. I just thought, I’m either going to do something terrible or I need to go and see a proper psychiatrist.’
Wynne has since turned his life around and told how his depression and anxiety is like his ‘superpower’ as he urged others to ‘put in the work’ to improve their mental health.
He added: ‘Life is about putting in the work yourself. When you put the work in, then you’re ready to run with it… There’s no right or wrong, just don’t be embarrassed.’
It comes after Wynne Evans revealed his impressive weight loss after deciding to slim down when he had ‘trouble getting up the stairs’.
TV star: Wynne has been a fixture on screens since 2009 in his operatic alter-ego Gio Compario and is known for his signature tuxedo and curled moustache (pictured in 2010)
Close: The opera singer and broadcaster, 51, beat fellow finalists Luca Bish and Amy Walsh after impressing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with his adventurous menu
Candid: Sharing his feelings after winning, he said: ‘When they gave me the trophy – I’ll just get melancholy for a moment, right – I remember thinking “Six years ago I was contemplating… well, I tried to take my own life’
Special: ‘Now look at me. I’m standing here in a studio with the MasterChef trophy. It was a really poignant moment for me’
During an appearance on This Morning in April, Wynne detailed why he decided to overhaul his lifestyle, admitting his ‘mental health hasn’t been great for the past five or six years’.
He said: ‘I feel great actually, it’s been calories. I’ve always been fat, I thought ”I’ve gotta do something”.
‘I was having trouble washing and getting up the stairs. My mental health hasn’t been great in the last five or six years, and it really helped.’
Wynne has been documenting his weight loss journey on social media, and previously revealed his size increased following his marriage breakdown and the loss of both his parents.
The father-of-two went on to say that he continued working on the radio during the difficult time: ‘The strapline of my show is, ‘cheering Wales up by one o’clock,’ but I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression’.
‘I would think about (suicide), I would try and action it… I couldn’t see a way out; I couldn’t see a way of ever being happy again.’
Struggle: Wynne has previously opened up about his mental health struggles in the past, revealing this year he was at his lowest ebb after the breakdown of his marriage in 2016
On Friday, the Celebrity MasterChef final trio were tasked with cooking a faultless three-course meal in two hours for the judges in a last-ditch effort to be named the 18th Celebrity MasterChef champion.
And Wynne proved he had what it took to come out on top after rustling up a fantastic feast featuring a Japanese-inspired tuna tartare and cannon of lamb.
However, viewers took to social media to complain about the final, as although they were pleased with the result, they were left disappointed by the short running time.
Reacting to his win, Wynne said: ‘This is a brilliant feeling. The kids will love this, they’ll be like “Dad! I can’t believe you did it when all you cook for us is beans on toast!”.
‘The experience has totally changed my life. It has just been beautiful and I can’t thank Gregg and John and everybody here at MasterChef enough.
‘When you start to believe in yourself, that’s when good things start to happen. I don’t know how a MasterChef winner celebrates but I know how a bloke from Carmarthen celebrates!’
Challenge: The final trio were tasked with cooking a faultless three-course meal in two hours for the judges in a last-ditch effort to be named the 18th Celebrity MasterChef champion
Success: Wynne proved he had what it took to come out on top after rustling up a fantastic feast featuring a Japanese-inspired tuna tartare and cannon of lamb
The star of the Go Compare adverts cooked up a starter of Carmarthen-Japanese sumo tuna tartare with avocado, edamame beans and wasabi, served with deep-fried cockle popcorn and a mango egg.
This was then followed by a main of bread of Evans cannon of lamb, served on samphire with wild garlic, porcini mushrooms and lamb rendered fried bread, with pomme dauphine and a fondant leek, finished with a red wine and red currant jus.
Finally for dessert, the Welshman served Bara Brith with Caerphilly cheese and fig jam, served with brie ice cream on crumbled Bara Brith and poached figs.
In typical Wynne style, the entertainer celebrated his win by balancing the trophy on his head and bursting into song.
Source: Read Full Article