Star MasterChef winner Wynne Evans has admitted he had contemplated suicide years before appearing on the BBC show.
The 51-year-old opera singer and broadcaster took top spot ahead of finalists Luca Bish and Amy Walsh on Friday after impressing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with his adventurous menu.
And in a post-show interview, Wynne – famous for the Go Compare advert – said the win was a particularly “poignant moment” for him as he had attempted to take his own life six years previously, reports The Mirror.
He shared his feelings after the win, saying: “When they handed me the trophy – I just get melancholy for a moment, right – I remember thinking, ‘Six years ago I thought about it… well, I did.’ tried to take my 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 he “contemplated suicide” years before appearing on the BBC show
Candid: In a post-show interview, Wynne – famous for the Go Compare ad – said the win was a particularly “poignant moment” for him as he had attempted suicide six years previously, reports The Mirror (in the picture). May)
The radio star added that he didn’t think he would win as Emmerdale star Amy Walsh “did it” and Wynne was overwhelmed by his “amazing journey” on Celebrity MasterChef.
He added: “I cried and everything, but it was just an incredible journey.” It was just an incredible journey. Can you imagine showing up to cook a dessert you’ve never made before and then being told you’re serving it to Raymond Blanc?
Wynne has previously spoken about his mental health struggles in the past, revealing this year that he had hit rock bottom following the collapse of his marriage to his wife Tanwen in 2016.
He told BBC Radio Wales: “I had the worst depression, clinical depression. “I would think about (suicide), I would try to make it happen… I couldn’t see a way out; I couldn’t imagine a way to ever be happy again.’
Adding that he knew he needed professional help, he continued: “I had suicidal thoughts and it was terrible.” I just thought: “Either I’m going to do something terrible or I need to see a real psychiatrist.”
This comes after Wynne Evans revealed his impressive weight loss after deciding to lose weight when he had “trouble climbing stairs”.
During an appearance on This Morning in April, Wynne explained why he decided to change his lifestyle, admitting his “mental health hasn’t been good over the last five or six years”.
He said, “Actually I feel great, it was calories.” I’ve always been fat and thought, “I have to do something.”
Conclusion: The 51-year-old opera singer and broadcaster beat finalists Luca Bish and Amy Walsh after impressing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with his adventurous menu
Honest: He shared his feelings after the win, saying: “When they handed me the trophy – I just get melancholy for a moment, right – I remember thinking, ‘Six years ago I was thinking about this… well, I tried to win 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.
“I had problems washing and climbing stairs. “My mental health hasn’t been great for the last five or six years and it’s really helped.”
Wynne has documented his weight loss journey on social media and has previously revealed that he gained height after the breakdown of his marriage and the loss of both his parents.
The father-of-two went on to say that he had continued to work in radio during this difficult time: “My show’s slogan is ‘cheering up Wales at one o’clock’ but I had the worst depression, clinical depression.”
“I would think about (suicide), I would try to make it happen… I couldn’t see a way out; I couldn’t imagine a way to ever be happy again.’
Struggle: Wynne has previously spoken about his mental health struggles in the past, revealing this year that he had hit rock bottom following the collapse of his marriage to wife Tanwen in 2016
Hard: “I had the worst depression, clinical depression.” I would think about (suicide), I would try to make it happen… I couldn’t see a way out.
On Friday, the Celebrity MasterChef final trio were tasked with preparing an impeccable three-course meal for the judges within two hours in a final bid to be crowned the 18th Celebrity MasterChef champions.
And Wynne proved he had what it took to emerge victorious by putting on a fantastic feast featuring a Japanese-inspired tuna tartare and lamb cannon.
However, viewers took to social media to complain about the finale, as although they were happy with the result, they were disappointed by the short running time.
Reacting to his win, Wynne said, “This is a great feeling.” The kids are going to love it, they’re going to say, “Dad! I can’t believe you made it when all you do is cook beans on toast for us!”.
“This experience has completely changed my life.” It was absolutely beautiful and I can’t thank Gregg and John and everyone here at MasterChef enough.
“When you start believing in yourself, good things happen. “I don’t know how a MasterChef winner celebrates, but I know how a guy from Carmarthen celebrates!”
Challenge: The final trio were tasked with preparing an impeccable three-course meal for the judges within two hours in a final bid to be crowned the 18th Celebrity MasterChef champions
Success: Wynne proved he had what it took to emerge victorious by putting on a fantastic feast featuring a Japanese-inspired tuna tartare and lamb cannon
The Go Compare advert star cooked Carmarthen Japanese sumo tuna tartare with avocado, edamame beans and wasabi as a starter, served with fried cockle popcorn and a mango egg.
Afterwards, the main course was bread from the Evans lamb cannon, served on samphire with wild garlic, porcini mushrooms and fried lamb bread, with pomme dauphine and a fondant leek, rounded off with a red wine and 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 victory by balancing the trophy on his head and breaking into song.