Strictly judges floored by Will Mellor giving him almost-perfect score in week one

Will Mellor recently announced that he's been struck down with a virus and has been unable to train with his Strictly Come Dancing partner Nancy Xu over recent days and new pictures show just how much he is suffering. The soap star, 46, revealed that he has been battling an illness in a video shared on Instagram, and explained that he attended dance training on Monday but was forced to head back home. Will, who has continued to wow with his Strictly performances so far, was seen on Thursday following his appearance on Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two and could be seen looking run down as he arrived at a hotel in London.

Strictly Come Dancing star Will Mellor tragically lost his beloved dad in 2020, but he has found a way to hold him close when he’s out on the dancefloor.The former Hollyoaks actor wears a meaningful accessory that once belonged to his father every time he steps out in his sequins. Speaking exclusively to OK!, Will said: “I wear his ring every day for every performance. I always have a little moment with it before I go on and dance.

It wouldn’t be Strictly Come Dancing without the show’s iconic movie week, and week 3 of the contest did not disappoint as the remaining couples took to the floor to perform a selection of Hollywood inspired dances. From a Lion King inspired Samba, right through to an emotional Cha Cha Cha inspired by Flashdance, there was plenty of colour, energy and emotion in each of Saturday’s performances. However it was Will Mellor ’s performance with partner Nancy Xu that got many fans talking, as the toe tapping duo performed a highly sensual American Smooth to Dirty Dancing track Cry to Me.

It was a decision that raised eyebrows at the weekend, when Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas said she would have saved Loose Women star Kaye Adams over singer Matt Goss in the first dreaded dance-off of the series. The second live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2022 led to decision time as the first celeb departed the dancefloor.

Judge Motsi Mabuse quickly corrected herself and apologised after she mixed-up the names of two of the professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing. As she critiqued Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima for their Viennese Waltz, she got his name muddled with fellow pro Italian dancer Giovanni Pernice.

Strictly Come Dancing's Will Mellor admitted his "mind went blank" as he unfortunately made a mistake in his opening dance with pro Nancy Xu.The actor, 46, and pro, 31, opened the BBC One show on Saturday with a Salsa to Never Too Much by Luther Vandross, where during the routine Nancy lost one of her earrings. After performing, host Tess Daly pointed out: "Losing buttons and earrings and all sorts, we are live after all!" While during the judges' feedback, they pointed out some errors in the routine as Shirley Ballas said: "There were some mistakes this evening, I saw your little face - it's quite difficult to repick it back up but you got on with it, you did it!" Speaking to Claudia Winkleman after the dance, a deflated Will admitted that his "mind went completely blank" but pointed out that this is live TV.

Will Mellor set the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor on fire last week when he and fellow contestant Hamza Yassin came joint top of the leaderboard for the first live show of the series. And this weekend, the Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps actor will be looking to wow the four judges once again as he gets set to test his Salsa skills alongside Strictly pro Nancy Xu.

We’ve been captivated by his sexy moves and jokey manner – but Will Mellor admits he wouldn’t be on the show if he hadn’t developed a new perspective on life after losing his beloved dad. The star, who shot to fame in Hollyoaks, has referred to his dad Bill as his “hero” and says he was left “crippled” when he died just two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer during the pandemic. But while Will, 46, says it was a “horrible time”, it has taught him he should be “grabbing opportunities and making memories”.

Actor Will Mellor is set to be a favourite to go on and lift the Glitterball trophy as winner of Strictly Come Dancing for 2022 after topping the leaderboard and wowing judges and fans in week one of the show. Betfair have now revealed Will’s odds of winning the show have been slashed to 6/4 from 5/1, making him the new favourite to win the show after an impressive opening week score of 34.