Melanie Walters Surprises Strictly Fans With Her Offscreen Personality

Welsh actress Melanie Walters has revealed how her private personality differs from her beloved Gavin and Stacey character while competing on Strictly Come Dancing 2026. Partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, the 64-year-old is using the BBC competition to develop her dancing skills and challenge herself outside her comfort zone.

During the October 10 episode, Walters and Škorjanec performed an upbeat Charleston to Gina G's Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit. The judges awarded them 17 points out of 40, placing the pair second from the bottom of the leaderboard, ahead of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr.

Walters is best known for playing Gwen West, the omelette-loving character in the hit sitcom Gavin and Stacey. However, the actress has explained that her real-life demeanor is not as sweet as the character's, a difference that has surprised some fans who approach her in public.

In an interview with The Metro, Walters described how viewers often recognize her through Gwen's signature association with omelettes.

"It's usually a tap on the shoulder and 'Make us an omelette!' and they fall about laughing and then I do too because they do it out of enjoyment."

She also described feeling uncomfortable when intoxicated strangers approach her in pubs and mistake familiarity with her television character for permission to overstep personal boundaries.

"I'm a bit wary if I'm in a pub and people get really drunk because they see me and say, 'Oooh, it's Gwen!'"

Walters said some people appear to assume they can treat her as though she were the fictional character, partly because of her small stature.

"They seem to think they can pick me up and take me home because I'm so small. I'm not remotely as sweet as Gwen in real life so they get a shock!"

The actress has worked across television for five decades, taking on a range of roles beyond Gavin and Stacey. Her credits include Helen Powell in We Are Seven, Bonnie Bevan in Hollyoaks and Yvonne Mallowan in the BBC crime mystery series Death Valley.

Walters has also explained that appearing on Strictly represents a departure from her usual preference for privacy. She said she wanted to pursue the opportunity because learning to dance properly had long been a personal ambition.

"[It's] a bit out of my comfort zone. I've not been one for doing panel shows or quiz shows or anything."

She described the experience as an opportunity to appear publicly as herself rather than through a fictional role, something she has rarely done during her career.

"So, it's now me, Melanie Walters, which is not what I'm used to putting out there, because I'm quite a private person. I just thought, 'no, let's tick that box'. And basically, I really want to learn to dance properly. Always have."

Walters said the professional training was another major attraction of the competition, which provides contestants with regular instruction from experienced dancers.

"Getting weekly masterclasses. You couldn't ask for anything better," she added.

Walters remains among the contestants competing for the Glitterball Trophy, with 14 celebrities left in the competition after Chris Appleton's elimination. Appleton exited following a dance-off against Jaime Winstone, leaving the remaining competitors to continue their bid for the title previously won by Karen Carney.