Born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, Will Mellor, 50, joined Brookside at 16 and was cast as Jambo in Hollyoaks in 1995. He appeared in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Line of Duty, and was a regular in Coronation Street from 2021. His recent dramas are Mr Bates vs the Post Office and A Woman of Substance; his factual programmes include Convictions Gone Bad. On 5 November his memoir, Where There’s a Will: My Story, is published. He is married with two children and lives in Buckinghamshire.

What is your greatest fear?

Letting my family down.

Describe yourself in three words

Full of energy.

What would your superpower be?

Hindsight.

What makes you unhappy?

Being alone.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

My bent nose and my ears. They don’t stop growing, so I’ve got a big nose and big ears.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?

I’d like to see my dad again, just to hug him. It was Covid when he passed away and I never got to say goodbye.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Ryan Gosling.

What is your most unappealing habit?

Picking my nose. I can’t help it because it’s bent and I get stuff stuck up there.

Which book are you ashamed not to have read?

I don’t really read books, so all of them.

What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?

When I was doing music, somebody came up to me and said, “You’ve changed.” It was the worst thing and the best thing – because I left the record industry. It was not for me and I’d become somebody I didn’t like.

Would you choose fame or anonymity?

I’ve been an attention-seeker since I was a kid, so I’d choose fame.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My wife, Michelle. I’ve been with her for 27 years. We’re a great team and have two amazing children.

Which phrase do you most overuse?

“You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.” I keep thinking it because I’ve been having my house renovated for the past six months and it’s driving me up the wall.

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What has been your biggest disappointment?

I would have liked to have made the Strictly final [he got to the semi-final].

If you could edit your past, what would you change?

There was a lady who made out that she’d had my child, so the girl went to school telling people that her dad was on TV. When we did the DNA test, she found out she wasn’t mine. I feel sorry for her because she’d been lied to, and I wish I could change that.

How often do you have sex?

A healthy amount.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Having a stable family.

What has been your closest brush with the law?

Because my dad was in prison when I was a kid, he made sure that wasn’t a place that I was ever going to go. He was a bit of a Del Boy – so dodgy MOTs, stolen stuff. He went to Strangeways for almost a year and left me and my mum and my four sisters unprotected, and he hated every second.

Would you rather have more sex, money or fame?

All of the above.

How would you like to be remembered?

With a smile.