CORONATION Street star Will Mellor broke down in tears as he came clean on his alcohol and gambling battles.
Actor Will, who shot to fame as Jambo Bolton in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks in 1995, previously told how he turned to booze following his dad’s tragic death from cancer.
The soap star, who also lost sister Joanne to a heart attack in 2012, aged 44, bravely told the Happy Place podcast how he “slipped into a dark place” and “wasn’t a good person” after her passing.
Will, 50, said he “didn’t want to get out of bed” and he “hated himself” for turning to his demons.
He apologised to anchor Fearne Cotton as he wiped tears from his eyes and confessed: “I struggle with my emotions, they are on the surface all the time and when I talk about these things its because I care and I can’t help it”.
Will detailed the struggles that led to his harmful life choices and said: “I never thought I would find myself in that cloud and not see colour any more.
“Because I couldn’t protect her [his late sister] any more, I couldn’t change it.
“And that’s what the killer is, because I always thought I could fix things, I will do anything to help people if I can – and I couldn’t help her”.
He added: “I just did the wrong thing drinking, gambling, trying to find a high in life, which sent me further down the hole.
“I hated myself for it.
“But I got through it, my wife got me through it”.
Will is married to dancer and dance school owner Michelle McSween.
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Will – who played drugs lord Harvey Gaskell in ITV soap Corrie – previously opened up on his poor mental health in the rough patch.
He said: “I had to stop feeling guilty about things, that I couldn’t do any more for my sister, you put things onto yourself – it was a vicious cycle and I had to get out of it.
“When my dad passed I saw the signs and didn’t go that deep. Obviously lockdown didn’t help, when you don’t have to be up in the morning there’s no excuse not to have a few drinks.
“You have a word with yourself, I was sick of feeling rubbish and now I feel great.”
The Two Pints star added: “My mindset is better. You can’t change a situation but you can change yourself, the repetition of what you’re doing and keep an eye out for those little triggers”.
As well as Hollyoaks and Corrie, Will has also appeared in EastEnders, Casualty, Broadchurch and – more recently – Mr Bates vs The Post Office.