Celebrity MasterChef winner Wynne Evans admits he ‘contemplated suicide’ before appearing on the show as he reveals triumph was a ‘poignant moment’ for him

Famed MasterChef winner Wynne Evans has admitted he ‘contemplated suicide’ years before appearing on the BBC show.

The opera singer and presenter, 51, beat fellow finalists Luca Bish and Amy Walsh to top spot on Friday after impressing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with his adventurous menu.

And in an interview after the show, Wynne – famous for the Go Compare ads – said the win was a particularly “poignant moment” for him, considering he tried to kill himself six years earlier, reports The mirror.

Sharing his feelings after the win, he said: “When they gave me the trophy – I just get melancholy for a moment, don’t I – I remember thinking, ‘Six years ago I was considering… well, I was trying to commit suicide and now look at me. I’m standing here in a studio with the MasterChef trophy.”

‘It was a very moving moment for me.’

The radio star added that he didn’t believe he would win as Emmerdale star Amy Walsh ‘crushed it’, with Wynne left overwhelmed by his ‘amazing journey’ on Celebrity MasterChef.

He added: “I cried and all that stuff, but it was just an amazing journey. It was just an incredible journey. Can you imagine coming to cook a dessert you’ve never cooked before and then being told you’re serving it to Raymond Blanc?’

Wynne has previously opened up about his past mental health struggles, revealing this year that he was at his lowest point following the collapse of his marriage to wife Tanwen in 2016.

He told BBC Radio Wales: ‘I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression. I thought about (suicide), I tried to carry it out… I saw no way out; I saw no possibility of ever being happy again.’

Adding that he knew he needed professional help, he continued: “I felt suicidal, and it was horrible. I just thought: either I’m going to do something terrible, or I have to see a real psychiatrist.’

It comes after Wynne Evans revealed his impressive weight loss after deciding to slim down when he was ‘having trouble climbing stairs’.

During an appearance on This Morning in April, Wynne explained why he decided to overhaul his lifestyle, admitting that his “mental health hasn’t been great for the past five or six years.”

He said: ‘I actually feel great, it’s calories. I’ve always been fat, I thought: I have to do something.

‘I had trouble washing and going up the stairs. My mental health hasn’t been great for the last five or six years, and it’s really helped.”

Wynne has documented his weight loss journey on social media, previously revealing that his size increased after the breakup of his marriage and the loss of both his parents.

The father-of-two went on to say that he continued to work in radio during the tough times: ‘The tagline of my show is ‘brightening up Wales at one o’clock’ but I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression.’

‘I thought about (suicide), I tried to carry it out… I didn’t see a way out; I saw no possibility of ever being happy again.’

On Friday, the final trio of Celebrity MasterChef were tasked with cooking a flawless three-course meal for the judges in two hours in a last-ditch bid to be named the 18th Celebrity MasterChef champions.

And Wynne proved he had what it takes to come out on top after cooking up a fantastic feast of Japanese-inspired tuna tartare and lamb cannon.

However, viewers took to social media to complain about the final as although they were happy with the outcome, they were left disappointed by the short running time.

Commenting on his win, Wynne said: “This is a brilliant feeling. The kids will love this, they’ll say, “Dad! I can’t believe you did it while just cooking beans on toast!”.

‘The experience completely changed my life. It was just beautiful and I can’t thank Gregg and John and everyone here at MasterChef enough.

‘When you start believing in yourself, good things happen. I don’t know how a MasterChef winner celebrates, but I do know how a guy from Carmarthen celebrates!’

The star of the Go Compare adverts cooked a starter of Carmarthen Japanese sumo tuna tartare with avocado, edamame beans and wasabi, served with fried cockle popcorn and a mango egg.

This was then followed by a main course of Evan’s lamb cannon, served on samphire with wild garlic, porcini mushrooms and fried bread with lamb, with pomme dauphine and fondant leek, finished with a red wine and red currant jus.

Finally, for dessert, the Welshman served Bara Brith with Caerphilly cheese and fig jam, served with brie ice cream on crumbled Bara Brith and poached figs.

In typical Wynne style, the entertainer celebrated his victory by holding the trophy on his head and breaking into song.