Will Young says encounter with Julia Roberts made him 'break into cold sweat'

25 April 2024 , 08:17

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Will Young says 'awful' encounter with Julia Roberts makes him 'break out into a cold sweat' (Image: BBC)

Will Young opened up about an 'awful' encounter he had with Hollywood icon Julia Roberts that he still thinks about to this day.

The 45-year-old singer appeared on The One Show alongside other guests like Imelda Staunton to promote his new album and upcoming tour around the UK. When hosts Alex Jones and Jermain Jenas asked what tales he would be sharing with fans while on tour, he revealed one moment with Julia, 56.

He explained: "I was singing at the LA BAFTAs. She was in the dressing room and I got a bit tongue-tied and I just was looking at her and thinking 'Oh god, that's Julia Roberts' and all I had in my head was the Pretty Woman theme tune. Then she said: "You're the guy from American Idol" and I said: 'No, Pop Idol.'

"Then I said: 'Wouldn't it be funny if it was called Pup Idol and everyone brought their puppies'. She just looked at me. I know. It's really odd. Her assistant just moved her away. I'm actually sweating telling this story. I started sweating and the make-up artist was like 'God, you're sweating quite a lot'. And I said: 'Yeah I know, I'm fine. It's just so hot.'

Will Young opened up about a mortifying moment with Julia Roberts (WireImage)

He says he still thinks about it to this day

"It was just awful. But I think people need to hear these stories." Earlier this week, Will opened up about his Strictly Come Dancing stint which saw him pull out in 2016. He said he suffered panic attacks "24 hours a day". But now that he is healthier mentally, he said he would love to return to the ballroom.

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“I wish I had experienced it when I wasn’t ill because I would’ve loved it,” he said. “I love dancing, I trained in ballet and contemporary. I was actually really excited about doing the show but just leaving the house and going 20 yards to the corner shop was hard. I was in the middle of a protracted breakdown and PTSD, and I learned very quickly I wasn’t able to do this. It was a heightened agoraphobia.

“Imagine having panic attacks 24 hours a day. I don’t know how I managed it, to be honest.” Will then added that he would actually prefer to compete now that same-sex couples can dance together, which was introduced with Nicola Adams and Katya Jones in 2020. "If I did it now, I would dance with a male partner,” Will told the How to Fail podcast.

Zara Woodcock