A Strictly Come Dancing star who lost a staggering seven stone before signing up to the show has been spotted at rehearsals.
Opera singer Wynne Evans is best known for his role as Gio Compario and later as himself in the Go.compare insurance adverts, which he first appeared on in 2009.
His career has spanned 25 years, including two number one classical musical albums and performances at venues including London’s Royal Albert Hall.
He now also hosts a radio programme on BBC Radio Wales, won Celebrity MasterChef last year and was last month announced as one of the stars of the upcoming 20th anniversary season of Strictly.
When his part in the show was revealed, Wynne, 52, joked he was ‘still pinching himself’ that a ‘portly balding opera singer’ like him would be taking to the dancefloor.
Now, two weeks before the show kick off, he’s been hard at work in training alongside the other stars, which this season also includes Towie’s Pete Wicks, JLS star JB Gill, DIY SOS’ Nick Knowles and Olympic swimmer Tom Dean.
On Sunday Wynne was snapped arriving at a London hotel after a long day rehearsing for the upcoming shows, with the first episode to air on Saturday, September 14.
‘The stuff I’m more nervous about is doing something like the jive because I represent every portly middle-aged father who jumps and could set a minor tsunami off in North London. I’m kind of a bit nervous about that,’ he said, as reported by The Sun.
His upcoming TV appearance comes after Wynne overhauled his diet and took up a rigorous exercise regime, with Wynne starting his ‘weight loss journey’ in September 2022.
His health kick began after his weight crept up to almost 24 stone and he started facing ‘trouble washing and getting up the stairs’.
Buying a Peloton bike and treadmill, Wynn then started running every day and cut out cheese and cards, going on to lose five and a half stone in just over six months.
‘I mean, if you’re happy being a bigger person, that’s great, that’s fantastic, but for me, it has just made me feel so much better. I feel alive again, and I feel like I can do anything now,’ he previously said during an interview on This Morning.
When his Strictly casting was announced on Vernon Kay’s BBC Radio 2 show Wynne spoke about his nerves for the challenge ahead.
‘I’m not entirely sure how I’ll get along, if all else fails I’ll just have to learn the art of distraction,’ he said.
‘What I do know is I will give it my all and aim to make Wales proud. I’m definitely going to try and combine my love of Opera into one of my routines. Plus, after winning Celebrity MasterChef last year, maybe the route to the judges’ hearts will be through their stomachs!’
Wynne won the 18th season of the BBC reality cooking series last year, beating out other stars including Luca Bish, Dani Dyer, Max George, Mica Ven and Dianne Buswell.
