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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zara Woodcock

Strictly's Will Mellor and Shirley Ballas break down in tears after emotional tribute to dad

Strictly Come Dancing's Will Mellor was in tears following his emotional dance tribute to his late father.

The actor and his professional dance partner Nancy Xu performed a Waltz to Three Times A Lady by Commodores.

In the VT before the performance, Will called his mother and she told how Will lost his father during the pandemic.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room following their performance, with even judge Shirley Ballas tearing up.

"After watching the VT and the beautiful relationship you have with your mum is just amazing. It makes me miss my own son," she said.

"Your dancing, your feeling, the ambiance, the package, the way you danced, the suit, the atmosphere you set and the footwork... Well done, well done."

Will couldn't hold back the tears (BBC)

Will couldn't hold in the tears as he was praised for his incredible performance on Saturday night.

His dance partner Nancy even got emotional during the judges' comments.

They impressed them so much that they received a 38, with Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood giving nines.

They received a 38 from the judges (BBC)

Will lost his father two weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer.

In September, he opened up about how the death 'crippled me' and 'changed everything'.

Speaking about being asked to join Strictly, he explained: "I've been asked before, it's just the right timing. I would generally say no to these things because I was always worried about what other people would think and what they would say.

Will's dad passed away in 2020 (Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/willmellor76/)

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"But then I lost my dad in 2020 and everything changed."

"It crippled me and I just thought I've got to grab life and do things. It really changed my mindset."

His loss changed a lot for him, and he revealed that joining the show was also for his mother.

Strictly Come Dancing is her 'favourite show' and he wanted to add some positivity to her life. So he chose to do the show for both himself and his family.

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Sunday evening on BBC One.

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