Strictly Come Dancing star Will Mellor broke down in tears after winning the highest marks for his opening dance - which he dedicated to his dad.
The former Hollyoaks actor's dad Bill died in April 2020, just two weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer and at the start of the pandemic when restrictions were in place.
Will, 46, was 'crippled' by the loss, which would prove to be the first in a series of tragic events that sent him to a dark place.
Dad Bill suffered from a brain tumour, and within 12 months his uncle and aunt were killed by the same cancer.
His Uncle George and Aunt Pat, with whom he was very close, died within days of each other. The couple's funeral was on the same day.
For Will, their passing triggered an outflowing of grief and trauma that manifested itself in frightening physical ways.
He said: "It was just unbelievable.
"I felt everything come flooding back from what happened with Dad.
"I was back in a cloud again."
The pain was unbearable... but Will's nightmare was not quite over. Just before the anniversary of his dad's death, wife Michelle organised a family party in the garden for his 45th birthday.
His mum was there and drove home next day.
Then his sister phoned to say: "I think Mum's had a stroke." Will said: "I nearly collapsed. I just went cold. The cloud came in.
"I had to take a little break away to reorganise my head. I said 'I'll build a bar in my garden in the name of my dad for something to do' but I couldn't see properly.
"My eyes and everything were going funny. I thought it could be due to stress.
"Thankfully Mum’s going to be OK. It's classed as a mini stroke."
Will previously told how he signed up to the show to honour his parents.
"It was just the right timing. We have our reasons for when we do things in life and I would genuinely be frightened of doing stuff like this and saying no to stuff, because I was worried about what people will think and, 'If I do that, will that change that?'" he said.
"And then I lost my dad in 2020 and everything changed and it just crippled me. I thought, 'I've got to grab life, I've got to do stuff.' It really changed my mindset and I've just got to say yes to more things. I'm going to say yes to more stuff."
He continued: "I've got to grab life and create memories. Because that's what you end up in life - with memories. And it's my mum's favourite show and she's had the worst time of it, so I thought we've got to have a bit of positive in our lives."
*Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight at 6.30pm on BBC One.
What do you think of the performances so far on Strictly this year? Have your say in the comments section below...
