BBC Strictly Come Dancing star says competing is a 'gift' after 7-stone weight loss

Strictly contestant Wynne Evans said he already feels like the 'competition winner', after the BBC show helped in his journey of losing an impressive seven stone. The 52-year-old contestant, whose currently partnered with dancing professional Katya Jones, weighed more than 23 stone in 2022, which was exacerbated by a series of devastating events in his life.

Sadly, this included the death of both of his parents and the breakdown of his 16-year marriage, which left him clinically depressed. But the opera singer, best know for his role in the Go Compare insurance adverts, completely transformed his life in September two years ago.

A diet overhaul and strict exercise were among the changes he made, but Wynne stressed that joining Strictly this year was the icing on the cake. In a previous conversation with the Metro, the Welsh star explained that although he'd been running around all day on set, he'd been enjoying every minute of it.

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"It’s like a gift," he said. "Anybody who loses weight gets to that stage where they plateau, and I think it’s like the next kick on for me."

Last year, Wynne also opened up about his ongoing journey with the Mirror, explaining that he'd battled with his weight during his childhood years too. At one stage, he said he would 'have to be careful what chair [he] would sit on, just in case [he] broke the chair', describing it as 'embarrassing'.

"You can only do it when you're ready to do it, when you know you can get through it," Wynne said at the time. "Life is about putting in the work yourself. You put in some work on your mental health or your physical health, and then you get a bit of luck - that luck could be an opportunity, like it was with me getting the Go.Compare job, or it could be the spark that makes you lose weight or get healthier.

"When you put the work in, then you're ready to run with it... So, my message is talk to people, get involved, do stuff, and don't feel ashamed about anything - whether you're feeling low, or fat, or thin, or anything. There's no right or wrong, just don't be embarrassed."

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