Will Young reveals the wholesome change of career he’s considering

Cliff Notes – Will Young reveals the wholesome change of career he’s considering

• Will Young, the Pop Idol winner, is contemplating a career shift to become a school counsellor to support young people in need.
• He continues his advocacy for animal welfare, co-founding a dog food brand that donates 50% of profits to UK dog rescue centres.
• Young is outspoken about issues such as euthanasia rates for rescue dogs and animal testing, highlighting the need for change in these areas.

Will Young reveals the wholesome change of career he’s considering

Saving rescue dogs from being euthanised is Will Young’s mission at the moment – but he also wants to help children in a possible change of career (Picture: Provided)

Will Young is considering a change of career.

The Pop Idol winner, 46, is etched into the 2000s memories of UK millennials everywhere for his stand-out appearance in the first hit series of the singing competition.

While some (including Will) might not be aware that right now there is no The X Factor or Pop Idol equivalent, in 2002 everyone was talking about the show and by default, Will. He was a household name and somewhat of a national treasure. For many, he still is.

But while lots of people in his situation might be tempted to rest on their high-flying laurels, Will has used his fame as a launchpad to campaign about UK problems that mean the most to him.

Issues at the forefront of the Leave Right Now hitmaker’s mind famously involve dogs – and now children, too.

Will’s focus has pivoted towards the health of young people to such an extent that he’s actually considering a huge change of career.

Will would like to help young people by becoming a school counsellor (Picture: Jo Hale/Redferns)

The star found fame when he won Pop Idol in 2002 (Picture: Tim Roney/Getty Images)

‘If I don’t end up fostering I’ve been looking into training to become a school counsellor,’ Will told Metro.

‘I think there’s a huge need for school counsellors, and so I will definitely be in some sort of way aiding, helping and guiding younger people, because I’m of that age now.

‘I think it’s important for people to know that you can be parental, even if you don’t have kids.’

He explained: ‘You can still find that part of you, and I think that’s really important for people to realise, and important for myself.’   

Will is also continuing to help four-legged friends, as he has just been announced as dog food brand Miraculous Meals’ co-founder, where 50% of all profits go to UK dog rescue centres.

While continuing his singing career, Will has found time to campaign for causes close to his heart (Picture: C Brandon/Redferns)

‘My rescue dog was an hour away from being put down, he was given a week in total to see if anyone wanted him and his daughter, who I rescued as well,’ Will said.

Describing the bleak reality for rescue dogs in the UK today, the singer explained: ‘Euthanasia is a thing that isn’t spoken about in this country but it happens and the statistics are purposefully murky, shall we say.

‘We don’t really know. It could be anything between 50,000 to 80,000 dogs a year [that are put down due to not having a home].’

Refreshingly outspoken at a time when many choose to remain silent, Will has previously criticised the Conservatives’ treatment of LGBTQ+ people in the UK, saying he sometimes feels ‘terrified’ to be a gay man in this country.

When asked what other issue Will would like to see addressed in the UK today, he points to animal testing.

‘It has to be animal testing,’ he said. ‘I’ve been banging on about it to anyone in politics who will listen.

Gareth Gates and Will Young were two of the biggest names in the music industry in the early 2000s (Picture: Brian Rasic/Getty Images)

‘We still test on animals. We still test on monkeys in this country. This happens at universities.

‘We still have a test that goes back to Victorian times that is literally about increasing a dosage until the animal dies.

‘We test on up to 3000 dogs a year. It’s tests that we don’t need to do because we’ve got much better technology now.’

Nodding to our national love of dogs, Will wondered: ‘Why do we love our dogs so much? I suppose it’s about unconditional love.’

He added: ‘Every rescue dog could bring a life of joy to a family, a person, someone that’s lonely, or someone that maybe never trusted anyone before.’