Rylan Clark has become a household name with an incredible TV career behind him after bursting onto the showbiz scene on The X Factor.
The reality star went from performing in Take That and Westlife tribute bands in Ibiza, to hosting some of the biggest TV shows on air and is now set for his next big gig.
The 34-year-old is gearing up to host the BBC Radio 2 coverage of Eurovision alongside Scott Mills. The proceedings officially got underway over the weekend with the Big Eurovision Welcome in Liverpool.
And to celebrate the highly anticipated event, we will take a look back at Rylan's glistening career...
X Factor
Rylan auditioned for the X Factor in 2012 and was cemented as a TV star as he appeared on stage with his signature bleach-blonde hair. He performed a dance version of Des'ree's Kissing You and was met with a mixed reaction from the judging panel - Gary Barlow, Tulisa, Louis Walsh and Rita Ora.
After the performance, Barlow said: "Rylan, love your personality, hate your voice, really strange song choice as well." Walsh also admitted that he was "a bit worried" but ultimately everyone bar the Take That singer said yes and he was through to the next round.
After his performance, Barlow admitted: "[I] think he's going to haunt me throughout this competition," and he was right as he ultimately placed fifth in the competition.
Speaking about his iconic introduction to TV stardom, he told the Guardian: "Although I didn’t like my look when I watched it back, I’m glad it’s how I looked because a 6ft 4in guy with blond hair extensions is a cameraman’s dream.
"The producers would have probably ignored me if I had been standing in the queue being all normal in Adidas joggers. It was my thing back then, dressing to try to stand out. It started in my early teens."
He added: "I wanted people to notice me, I wanted the attention."
Speaking about his persona on the X Factor, Rylan admitted: "Once I was on the show, I learned very quickly what my role was. I was the gay stereotype who’s not good at singing. I thought, 'All right. I won’t sing, and I’ll wear a light-up outfit or dress like an Egyptian. Or a onesie to go to Tesco. I’ll play the game.
"That’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get. I know I’ll get an opportunity to show you all who I really am.
"Once the cameras were off, once I was back in the hotel room, me and James Arthur would just sit there in our tracksuits having a beer."
TV star
Following his stint on the X-Factor, Rylan went onto win Celebrity Big Brother the following year. He made it to the final five alongside Neil "Razor" Ruddock, Claire Richards, Ryan Moloney and Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt.
After capturing the hearts of viewers on the iconic series, Rylan and AJ Odudu were announced as the new co-hosts of Big Brother's Bit on the Side, replacing Jamie East and Alice Levine. He presented Big Brother's Bit on the Side until the series was cancelled in 2018.
Since then, Rylan has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two before announcing his departure this year. He also fronted Ready, Steady, Cook and has regular appearances on This Morning and The One Show.
Divorce
The TV presenter tied the knot with Dan Neal in 2015, but they announced their separation in July 2021. Rylan said he had been unfaithful to Dan "years ago" but only decided to tell his partner in May 2021, causing their six-year marriage to break down.
Rylan told the audience at an event for his memoir that he had suffered two heart failures amid the breakdown of his marriage. "Twice last year I ended up in the back of an ambulance because my heart failed."
“It was like my body had shut down. Twice last year I ended up back in an ambulance because my heart had failed and it was really strange because I just remember for a couple of weeks going, ‘My heart hurts’,” the former X Factor contestant said, according to Metro.
“My heart had to be restarted. I just remember lying in re-sus[citation], because I had these pads on with all these wires, and not understanding what it was,” he added.
Clark previously spoke about his health issues that arose from the divorce on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, saying: “My body did completely shut down. I wouldn’t eat. I went through a stage where I couldn’t even talk, which for some people might be quite handy.
“My speech was just slurred. My mum thought I was having a stroke. My body just went. I went down to 9st and I am six-foot-four.”
Eurovision
Rylan's next big gig is presenting the Eurovision Song Contest on BBC Radio 2 alongside DJ Scott Mills. The TV star joined the Eurovision cast and crew in Merseyside last weekend at the Big Eurovision Welcome.
Rylan attended the Nordic party on Saturday and took to Instagram yesterday to reveal he was still feeling the effects from the celebrations. Sharing a shirtless photo in his bed, Rylan could be seen holding his hands over his face with the caption: "How’s your Eurovision going?"
Appearing on ITV's Lorraine Kelly, the TV presenter lifted the lid on his glitzy outfit, admitting that he will be wearing high shoes which he is scared will risk his life. "I might die. The shoes are that high," the TV star joked while chatting to Lorraine.
Rylan has also explained how the Eurovision Song Contest previously helped him get over his divorce. Rylan suffered a mental health breakdown after the marital breakup from his ex husband, who he was with for five years, and took five months away from the spotlight.
He said flying out to Italy for last year's Eurovision was just what he needed to help him through the tough time.
Speaking to the Daily Star Sunday, he said: “Last year I needed to get away from the UK and the Eurovision bubble was perfect for that. It was what I needed on a personal level. Being there was a full circle moment for me. It was like, ‘I’m back, I’m ready to go’.
“That’s why Eurovision is so important to me. If you cut me open, it’s there.”
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