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

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

The opera singer, 51, took on the role of the tuxedoed Gio Compario in the insurance commercials before signing up as a Radio Wales as presenter in 2012.

With Wynne describing the opportunity to appear in the TV ads as ‘life-changing’, he said he went on to generate a loyal fanbase and audience for his radio show.

However, he admits he got some unusual requests from people who called in during the broadcast. 

The performer explained of one caller to the Daily Mirror: ‘You get real people talking about real things. And real people are really, really funny. I had a man come on in the middle of lockdown and he’d lost his leg to diabetes.

Unusual: Go Compare advert star Wynne Evans, 51, has revealed the strangest request he’s had from a member of the public since rising to fame in 2009

Fame game: The opera singer, 51, took on the role of the tuxedoed Gio Compario in the insurance commercials before signing up as a Radio Wales as presenter in 2012

‘He goes, “The thing is, I haven’t lost enough weight to get a prosthetic leg, so I bought one off eBay. It’s come from America and it’s got one Nike trainer on it, a red one. And I’m wondering if anybody’s got a spare.”

‘The next thing I’m finding myself doing a shout-out for a left, red Nike trainer. And someone rings in and says, “I’ve got one, I’ll send it to him.” And you’re thinking, this is mad.’

Wynne will star on the new series of Celebrity MasterChef which returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 16 August.  

He will join the likes of Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer Dianne Buswell and singer Max George.

Singer and former glamour model Sam Fox, Emmerdale star Amy Walsh, drag artist Cheryl Hole, and TV presenter and entertainer Dave Benson Phillips are also part of the line-up. 

Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace will put 20 famous faces through their paces over six weeks this summer, with Inbetweeners star James Buckley, former Love Island star Dani Dyer, and Black Eyed Peas rapper Apl.de.Ap also confirmed to take part.

The stars will battle it out for the coveted Celebrity MasterChef 2023 trophy, which was won by Lisa Snowdon last year.

Celebrity MasterChef will feature four heat weeks in which five new faces will tackle the Under The Cloche challenge, before being thrown straight in at the deep end to create their two course dinner party dishes.

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

If they make it through, they will face an array of cookery challenges that will stretch their culinary abilities to their limits.

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 complete this year’s star-studded line-up.

Katie Attwood, MasterChef Series Editor, said: ‘This series is a total treat for ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ fans – John and Gregg are on sizzling form and the creative dishes that the celebrities deliver need 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 had ‘trouble getting up the stairs’. 

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

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

‘I was having trouble washing and getting up the stairs. My mental health hasn’t been great in the last five or six years, and it really helped.’ 

Transformed: Go Compare star Wynne Evans revealed his impressive five stone weight loss (L) after deciding to slim down when he had ‘trouble getting up the stairs’ (right in 2021)

Wynne has been documenting his weight loss journey on social media, and previously revealed his size increased following his marriage breakdown and the loss of both his parents.

The father-of-two went on to say that he continued working on the radio during the difficult time: ‘The strapline of my show is, ‘cheering Wales up by one o’clock,’ but I was going through the worst depression, clinical depression’.

‘I would think about (suicide), I would try and action it… I couldn’t see a way out; I couldn’t see a way of ever being happy again.’

The Welsh tenor had a successful career before his advert starring 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 Welsh international rugby matches.

‘I had no idea that the commercials were going to become so massive, but they have completely changed my life,’ told MailOnline.

‘Now, I have financial security, an album deal, a little bit of celebrity, everything you dream of.’

The adverts featuring the opera-singing mascot have previously been named the number one most annoying advert in the UK.

Famous for singing the earworm-inducing jingle, Wynne was surprised to discover what a 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 curled moustache

Slimmed down: And during an appearance on This Morning, Wynne detailed why he decided to overhaul his lifestyle, admitting his ‘mental health hasn’t been great’

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

He said: ‘It did bother me at first as it’s horrible to read that people don’t like you but no one has come up to me and said, “I hate you”.’

‘I thought they’d stop making the ads. But I got on the phone to the advertising people and they were delighted’

Back in 2011 there was a Facebook page entitled ‘Go Compare, Go Compare, Give me a bat to kill the t**t at Go Compare’, which attracted 257,000 members.

For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org 

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