Meet Will Mellor: Strictly Come Dancing 2022 contestant
Will is swapping the cobbles for the Strictly ballroom.
We can't believe how fast the weeks have flown by, but it's now time for the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final.
This weekend, the five remaining contestants in the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 line-up will return to the ballroom to perform two dances, with the hope of securing a spot in next week's final.
One of those celebs is Will Mellor, who has put on quite the show since season 20 started back in September.
During last week's quarter-final, Mellor finished in joint first place on the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 leaderboard after he and his professional dance partner Nancy Xu wowed the judges with a Foxtrot to Sun and Moon from Miss Saigon.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2022 songs and dances for Week 12 have been announced and next up for Will is a Couple's Choice to Know How / Fools Gold / Step On by Young MC / The Stone Roses / Happy Mondays and a Paso Doble to Uccen (DWTS Remix) by Taalbi brothers and DWTS.
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Read on for everything you need to know about the actor.
Who is Will Mellor?
Age: 46
Job: Actor
Instagram: @willmellor76
Twitter: @Mellor76
Will's acting career spans more than 30 years and includes roles in Hollyoaks, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, and Broadchurch. He also starred in Line of Duty season 3 as PC Rod Kennedy. Most recently, he played villain Harvey Gaskell in Coronation Street.
Will is also a singer – his 1998 single When I Need You reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart – and co-host of the Two Pints with Will and Ralf podcast.
Will's Strictly journey
Scoreboard
Week 1: Jive (8 + 8 + 9 + 9) = 34
Week 2: Salsa (6+7+6+7) = 26
Week 3: American Smooth (8+9+8+8) = 33
Week 4: Rumba (4+7+5+7) = 23
Week 5: Viennese Waltz (8+8+8+8) = 32
Week 6: Cha Cha Cha (8+8+8+8) = 32
Week 7: Quickstep (8+8+8+9) = 33
Week 8: Waltz (9+10+10+9) = 38
Week 9: Samba (8+9+9+9) = 35
Week 10: Charleston (9+10+10+9) = 38
Week 11: Foxtrot (9+10+10+10) = 39
Alongside wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin, Will bagged the top spot on the leaderboard in the first week thanks to his electric hip movements - which left judge Motsi Mabusi "speechless". "You surprised me," she said. "I’m speechless. That was fantastic. Best start ever."
After he'd performed, Will told host Claudia Winkleman: "When I first saw that routine I said there's no chance I'll be able to do it, there's no point, we'll have to pick another dance. And after 10 days of being tortured from the feet up, [Nancy] got me to that stage and it's all down to her. She's unbelievable, I'd be nothing without her.
He added: "Mum, I just hope I did you proud. This is for you and my dad. Sorry, I get upset."
It was another impressive performance in Week 2 for Mellor, who did a Salsa to Never Too Much by Luther Vandross.
He bagged an even higher score the following week, earning 33 points and ending up in fourth place after a brilliant Dirty Dancing-themed American Smooth to Cry to Me.
A tough week of illness saw Will and Nancy drop down the rankings in Week 4, narrowly avoiding last place, but once he had fully recovered, the couple's fortunes turned around the following week, when they received 32 points for their dramatic Viennese waltz to the Line of Duty theme.
Though she awarded him eight points, head judge Shirley Ballas also warned the actor not to "over push everything, as that will knock you the other way".
His next performance in Week 6 – a Cha Cha Cha to Mama Told Me Not To Come by Sir Tom Jones and Stereophonics – saw Will face one of his toughest challenges yet. He admitted to feeling the nerves, but he didn't need to worry when the fun and spooky routine landed him another 32 points.
Week 7 saw Will land a similar score of 33 for his Quickstep to Soda Pop by Robbie Williams featuring Michael Bublé.
The following week, in Week 8, Will pulled it out of the bag when he scored his highest mark of the competition so far – 38 out of 40 – for his incredibly emotional Waltz Three Times a Lady by Commodores.
While Will's Week 9 Blackpool special left the judges on their feet when he went full throttle with a Samba to I Go to Rio by Hugh Jackman, which he bagged 35 for.
For Week 10's dance, Will wowed the judges once more with an energetic Charleston to Hush by Kula Shaker, placing at the top of the leaderboard once again with an impressive 38 points.
In Week 11, he continued to impress with a leaderboard-topping Foxtrot to Sun and Moon from Miss Saigon.
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What has Will said about joining Strictly?
On joining this year's Strictly cast, Will said: "I'm honestly so chuffed to be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year! Not going to lie, it's totally out of my comfort zone and I know it will be a huge challenge but that's what life is all about."
He also revealed who he's doing the show for. "This is also my Mum's favourite show," he said, "and she’s had a really tough few years so I’m doing this is for her as well. Bring it on!”
The quarter-final of Strictly Come Dancing continues on Sunday 11th December at 7:15pm on BBC One, with the results show airing on Monday 12th December at 8:15pm.
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