Broadchurch and Hollyoaks actor Will Mellor has spoken about the difficulty of losing his father during the coronavirus pandemic.

The actor explained how he has been unable to be close to his mother because of social distancing restrictions.

"I couldn’t hug my mum and I was in the garden on my own breaking down,” he said, during an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women. "It has made a difficult time even harder."

Mellor's father died two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. Speaking about his death, Mellor said: "I wasn’t allowed to touch him, that was the worst thing, we had the funeral and there was only ten of us.

"I still can’t even hug my mum or go into the house…

“It’s just the hardest time. It’s horrendous. What do you do when you lose your hero?”

Mellor has also starred in Line of Duty, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Unforgiven and No Offence.