Melanie Walters: From Gavin & Stacey star to Strictly Come Dancing contestant

Melanie Walters may be best known for playing widowed matriarch Gwen West on the hit BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey. Now, it seems that Stacey’s “mam” has got it going on – over on the dancefloor, at least, as the Welsh actor prepares to compete in the 24th series of Strictly Come Dancing. Walters, 64, features in the BBC reality series’ new lineup alongside Love Island star Dani Dyer, musician Delta Goodrem, and former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips.

It will mark the first series since the departures of hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly; they are being replaced with the trio of Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe. Hailing from the Mumbles, near Swansea, Walters got her break in TV with a role in the BBC Wales series The District Nurse in 1987. Her first regular role came two years later, in the Wales-set ITV drama We Are Seven.

In 2007, she was cast as Gwen West in Gavin & Stacey, which went on to become one of the most popular BBC series of all time. Her character was known for her propensity for making omelettes – a quirk that also bled into real life. Walters also said that she regularly receives requests from fans to make the dish when they encounter her.

I’m not remotely as sweet as Gwen in real life so they get a shock!” New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

As well as Gavin & Stacey, Walters has featured in shows such as Hollyoaks, playing the character Bonnie Bevan, and the recent BBC crime mystery Death Valley. She has been a familiar face on the British theatre scene, performing in plays and pantomimes around the country. Outside of acting, Walters also runs a pilates studio, having started learning the exercise while living in London, training at the Pilates Institute.

She opened up her own business when she moved back to Mumbles. I see people in the workplace as well as with the over 60s.” Speaking about her prospects on Strictly Come Dancing, Walters claimed: “Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room. I just hope I don’t follow Cinderella and leave one on the Ballroom stairs.” Among those wishing her luck was Gavin & Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones, who sent a message in the voice of her sitcom character, Nessa.