Go Compare advert singer Wynne Evans reveals strangest request from member of public since rising to fame

Go Compare ad star Wynne Evans has revealed the strangest request he’s had from a member of the public since he rose to fame in 2009.

The 51-year-old opera singer took on the role of the tuxedo-clad Gio Compario in the insurance commercials before signing on as a presenter with Radio Wales in 2012.

While Wynne described the opportunity to appear in the TV ads as “life-changing,” he said he would generate a loyal fan base and audience for his radio show.

He does admit to receiving unusual requests from people who called during the broadcast.

The artist told about a caller to the Daily mirror: “You get real people talking about real things. And real people are really, really funny. I had a man who was in the middle of lockdown and he had lost his leg to diabetes.

Fame game: The opera singer, 51, took on the role of the tuxedo-clad Gio Compario in the insurance commercials before signing on to host Radio Wales in 2012

He says, “The thing is, I didn’t lose enough weight to get a prosthetic leg, so I bought one on eBay. It’s from America and it has one Nike sneaker on it, a red one. And I’m I wonder if anyone has a spare.”

“The next thing I find myself doing a shout-out for a lefty, red Nike trainer. And someone rings the bell and says, “I have one, I’ll send it to him.” And you think: this is madness.’

Wynne will star in the new series of Celebrity MasterChef returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 16th August.

He will join Strictly Come Dancing pro-dancer Dianne Buswell and singer Max George, among others.

Singer and former glamor model Sam Fox, Emmerdale star Amy Walsh, drag performer Cheryl Hole and TV presenter and entertainer Dave Benson Phillips are also part of the lineup.

Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace will put 20 famous faces to the test over six weeks this summer, which will also include Inbetweeners star James Buckley, former Love Island star Dani Dyer and Black Eyed Peas rapper Apl.de.Ap.

The stars compete for the coveted Celebrity MasterChef 2023 trophy, which was won by Lisa Snowdon last year.

Celebrity MasterChef will have four heat weeks where five new faces take on the Under The Cloche challenge, before being thrown straight into the deep end to create their two-course dinner party dishes.

On air: Wynne will star in the new series Celebrity MasterChef returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 16 August

If they make it, they’ll face a series of cooking challenges that will push their culinary skills to the limit.

Singer and songwriter Jamelia, musician Locksmith, former Love Island star Luca Bish, comedian and actor Marcus Brigstocke, TV personality Mica Ven, actor Michael Praed, radio broadcaster Remi Burgz, TV and radio personality Richie Anderson, comedian Shazia Mirza , comedian and broadcaster Terry Christian rounds out this year’s star-studded lineup.

Katie Attwood, MasterChef Series Editor, said: ‘This series is a total treat for fans of ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ – John and Gregg are on sizzling form and the creative dishes the celebs serve up have to be seen to be believed.

‘Expect everything and more!’

It comes after Wynne Evans revealed his impressive weight loss after deciding to slim down when he was “struggling to get up the 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 getting up the stairs. My mental health hasn’t been great for the past five or six years, and that really helped.”

Transformed: Go Compare star Wynne Evans revealed his impressive five stone weight loss (L) after he decided to slim down when he was ‘struggling to get up the stairs’ (in 2021 exactly)

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

The father-of-two went on to say that he continued to work in radio during the difficult time: “My show’s tagline is, ‘Cheer Wales up by one o’clock,’ but I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression.”

“I would think about (suicide), I would try to carry it out… I saw no way out; I saw no possibility of ever being happy again.’

The Welsh tenor had a successful career before landing a leading role.

He was cast as Ubaldo Piangi, in the 25th Anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall and has sung at 30 international rugby matches in Wales.

“I had no idea the commercials would become so massive, but they completely changed my life,” MailOnline told me.

“Now I have financial security, an album deal, a little celebrity, everything you dream of.”

The ads featuring the opera-singing mascot were previously voted the most annoying ad in the UK.

Famous for singing the earworm-inducing jingle, Wynne was surprised to discover the negative reaction people had to his character.

Blast from the past! The TV star (right) has been a fixture on screens since 2009 in his operatic alter-ego Gio Compario (left), and is known for his signature tuxedo and curly mustache

Slim down: And while appearing on This Morning, Wynne explained why he decided to overhaul his lifestyle, admitting that his “mental health wasn’t great”

Sad: Wynne previously revealed that his weight had increased following the breakup of his marriage and the loss of both his parents (pictured in 2020)

He said, “It bothered me at first, because it’s terrible to read that people don’t like you, but no one has come up to me and said, ‘I hate you.'”

“I thought they were going to stop doing the ads. But I called the ad people and they were thrilled’

In 2011, there was a Facebook page titled “Go Compare, Go Compare, Give me a bat to kill the t**t at Go Compare,” which attracted 257,000 members.

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