There are certain pop culture moments that live forever in the queer memory. Madonna in cone bras. Gaga in meat. And somewhere in between: Will Young, standing awkwardly on the Pop Idol stage in 2002, cardiganed, softly spoken, and absolutely dismantling the competition with a quiet, defiant charm that said, yes, I’m gay, and yes, I’m going to win anyway. And he did.
Fast forward to 2025 and Will’s not in the tabloids anymore for who he’s dating or what note he hit at the O2. Instead, he’s out here talking about… school counselling. And rescue dogs. And animal testing.
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And while that might not scream pop star, it definitely screams growth—the kind that a lot of us in the LGBTQ+ community understand deeply: becoming the adult you wish had existed for you when you were younger.
“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.”
It’s not hard to imagine Will—one of the gentlest public figures of our youth—being the safe space in a classroom of overwhelmed kids. The kind who doesn’t just listen, but hears you.
“I think it’s important for people to know that you can be parental, even if you don’t have kids,” he added. “You can still find that part of you, and I think that’s really important for people to realise, and important for myself.”
For queer people especially, that line hits. Hard. So many of us grew up hiding, yearning for adults who wouldn’t look the other way or offer advice soaked in shame. Will becoming that adult feels like a full-circle moment—one part healing, one part heroism.
But his care doesn’t stop at the school gates. Enter: dogs.
“My rescue dog was an hour away from being put down,” he said. “He was given a week in total to see if anyone wanted him and his daughter, who I rescued as well.”
This wasn’t just a heartstring-tugging anecdote. It was the inspiration behind Miraculous Meals, the dog food brand he’s just co-founded—where 50% of profits go to UK dog rescue centres. In other words, Will is now out here literally feeding the strays.
And let’s be real—queer folks know what it feels like to be unwanted, to be told there’s no place for you, only to find someone who says: No. You’re coming home with me.
“Euthanasia is a thing that isn’t spoken about in this country but it happens,” he explained. “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].”
That’s a staggering number. And Will, bless him, is using his platform not to sell us an album, but to pull back the curtain on how we treat the most vulnerable—canine and human alike.
Then there’s his rage. Yes, rage. It’s soft-spoken, but it’s there—especially when he talks about LGBTQ+ rights and the UK’s current political climate.
He’s said he sometimes feels “terrified” to be a gay man in this country. Not sad. Not disappointed. Terrified. If you know, you know.
And when asked what else he’d like to see change?
“It has to be animal testing,” he said. “I’ve been banging on about it to anyone in politics who will listen. 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.”
The frustration in his voice is clear—and familiar. It’s the frustration of watching people pretend they don’t see the suffering. Whether it’s gay teens in crisis or shelter dogs in cages, Will is done staying polite.
And maybe, just maybe, this is what queer adulthood can look like. Not just surviving, but creating change. Not just achieving personal success, but throwing a rope back to help others climb out too.
“Why do we love our dogs so much?” he asked. “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.”
So, no—Will Young isn’t “just” a pop star anymore. He’s a caretaker. A truth-teller. A dog dad. A would-be school counsellor with enough emotional intelligence to dismantle the Tories and heal your inner child—all before lunch.
And for a generation of queer people who grew up watching him stand proudly in the spotlight, his latest chapter feels like a gift.
Will’s not leaving right now. He’s leaning in.
And thank heavens for that.
Source: METRO