Examentrainers

HOLLYOAKS IS FINE BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE MUSIC

1			CHOOSING to sing old Leo		7			Will is determined to make it as a singer. “Music
			Sayer’s hit ‘When I Need You’					has always been what I wanted to do, even before
			hardly seems the obvious choice					acting. Not long before I got the Hollyoaks part, I
			for a man aiming to launch a					sent dozens of demos to record companies and
	5		music career. But Will Mellor, star			50		nobody wanted to know. But for the past year I’ve
			of the Channel 4 series Hollyoaks					had record company interest solely because I
			insisted it would be his debut					happen to be a singer in a popular soap series.
			single. “The reason is that it’s the song my sister					Some of them offered me recording contracts
			Joanne likes best. She’s been mentally and					without even hearing me sing. How mad is that?”
	10		physically disabled since she suffered a serious
			heart condition four years ago.
2			She had been a bit off colour but she seemed well
			enough to go out for a drink with some friends.
			Then we got a knock on the door and it turned out
	15		she had collapsed in the street. Joanne was very ill
			and at one stage was given only a small chance to
			pull through.
3			I have never been so scared,”Will admits.“One of
			the songs we played to her in the hospital was ‘When
	20		I Need You’. It still reminds me so much of Joanne,
			and I see it as a tribute to her. Although she’s a bit
			slow mentally and physically now, Joanne’s one of
			the funniest members of our family.”
4			Joanne is one of Will’s four elder sisters. “I used
	25		to long for a brother,” he laughs. “Being the
			youngest, it was annoying to have four women boss
			me around. And I never had any decent toys to
			borrow. I was always left playing with Barbie dolls.
			Obviously I couldn’t borrow clothes either. Luckily
	30		I had a cousin who lent me shirts. On the other		8	55		Will also has a dark secret. “Three years ago,
			hand, growing up surrounded by women at least					when Take That had really taken off, I answered an
			means I’ve learned to respect them from an early age.”					advert for a band which was being put together.We
5			Will first met his girlfriend Angela Griffin, who					were called ‘Right Now’. To be honest, the bloke
			stars in Coronation Street, at a showbiz party. “We					who put us together was a real amateur.We didn’t
	35		were fans of each other’s shows, and we got on			60		even get a record contract, but I’m glad about that
			great immediately, but it was a while before we					now. I don’t even have any photos of the band any
			realised how much we really felt for each other.”					more. I’m waiting for someone to find them because
6			The hardest time in their relationship was when					I’m sure they’ll turn up and embarrass me one day.”
			he and Angela started going out together. “Having		9			If Will had to choose between music and
	40		the press camped outside our doors was difficult to			65		Hollyoaks there would only be one answer. “I’m
			cope with,” he says,“We both thought: ‘is this worth					grateful to Hollyoaks, but I want to be able to
			it?’ and the answer was ‘Yes, too right it is!’ Since we					concentrate totally on the music. I won’t want any
			openly admitted we are having a relationship it’s been					acting jobs if the music goes well. But right now I’ve
			fine. My only worry is if my music career takes off					got a two-year contract playing Jambo, and that
	45		and I have to move to London.”			70		suits me fine for the moment.”
								‘People Magazine’