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Will Young considered breaking his legs to get out of 'Strictly Come Dancing' - Attitude Skip to main content
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Home Culture Culture Film & TV

Will Young considered breaking his legs to get out of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’

The singer unexpectedly pulled out of the BBC ballroom competition in 2016.

By Fabio Crispim

Will Young has revealed he considered breaking his own leg so he would no longer have to take part n Strictly Come Dancing.

The ‘Jealousy’ singer entered the 2016 series of the BBC ballroom competition but pulled out two weeks in after struggling with anxiety and depression. 

In a new interview with Event magazine, Young opened up about the extent of his mental health stuggle during the show.

“Mental illness is mental illness. I was unwell”, he explained.

“In the weeks leading up to Strictly, all I could think about was, ‘How could I get out of doing the show?’ I knew I didn’t have the strength, that I wasn’t in the right place, and that I would do myself real damage.” 

He continued: “I actually looked into the easiest way to break my legs so I couldn’t dance. That’s how bad it was.” 

39-year-old Will, who took a break from music in 2016, went on to reveal that he “hated” being a pop star. 

“I would never put out a record again,” he explained. “It makes me sick to think of being that person I knew wasn’t really me. I did have some good times and did meet some very good people, but I was never comfortable, never happy.” 

He added: “You get the record deal, the big hits, the beautiful house but you’re not right on the inside, and you either get worse and worse or you try to deal with it.

“You try to work out where you really want to be.”