Rylan Clark has explained that he was so devastated by the collapse of his marriage that he broke down to a point that his mother feared he had suffered a stroke.
The 33-year-old reality star was married to ex-Big Brother contestant Dan Neal, 43, in 2015, but their relationship came to an abrupt end last year.
The breakdown of the marriage had a brutal impact on Rylan - whose fans grew concerned when he pulled out of work commitments as he dealt with his personal life issues.
Now Rylan has explained just how rocked he was by the end of his marriage - saying he was so distraught he was left unable to eat or even speak as he struggled with his grief.
He told the Happy Place podcast: “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.”
Fans, family and friends were all worried for the star when he started pulling out of work events as he dealt with the end of his marriage.
He said: “Two days before I was due to do Eurovision, everyone knew when I wasn't at Eurovision something was wrong.”
However, Rylan now says he thinks stepping back from work was a bad idea.
He said: “If I had done it, I may not have gone on such a quick decline. And when I say quick decline, it felt like minutes. I felt like I'd had the jab and I was shutting down.”
He went on to explain that he realised he did need a break - having been working in the public eye almost non stop since he burst onto screens as a contestant on The X Factor back in 2012.
He said: “It was hard but on reflection, yes, I needed to stop. Maybe it was an amalgamation of 10 years. I didn't stop since the day I went on The X Factor.
“Nothing stopped. I don't regret stopping. I do feel if I try to carry on, maybe I could have dealt with things better from a personal point of view. I don't regret that I stopped.”
The star went on to explain that he has been on a journey of self discovery as he recently enjoyed a trip to Spain on his own.
He advised: "Doing what I did last week with Barcelona is a stop for me. That is how I am going to manage going forward.
"If I feel I need a stop, have a stop, but have an enjoyable stop with yourself. And don't be frightened of your own company.
"I have never been on my own my entire life, ever. I would always live with my mum. Then I went on The X Factor. Then I met my ex partner and we moved straight in together.
"I had never lived on my own, at 32. I was so frightened. That is what I was frightened of, being on my own. I was frightened of not having someone there."
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