Rylan Clark

Early life

Ross Richard Clark was born on 25 October 1988 in the Stepney area of London, to mother Linda Clark. He went to a Catholic primary school and was an altar server.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00201sd

Career

Career beginnings

Clark auditioned for S Club Juniors in 2001 when he was 12, but failed to get a place in the band. He then became a part-time model when he was 16. It was during his early modelling career that he adopted the stage name "Rylan", which was conceived when he went into a branch of WHSmith and chose the name from the R section of a baby name book. In 2007, he applied for Big Brother 8, but, "the day I was going in, it got taken away from me because it got leaked to the press. It was devastating." He was in several Take That and Westlife tribute bands in Ibiza, and was also part of a Spanish boy band called 4bidden until 2010.

In 2010, he appeared in four episodes of the BBC series John Bishop's Britain. He was then a finalist on the Sky Living modelling series Signed by Katie Price.

''The X Factor''

In May 2012, Clark auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor at The O2 Arena in London in front of Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Tulisa and guest judge Rita Ora. He performed a dance version of Des'ree's "Kissing You". Afterwards, Barlow said: "Rylan, love your personality, hate your voice, really strange song choice as well." Walsh also admitted that he was "a bit worried". Barlow gave Clark a "no", but Ora, Tulisa and Walsh all decided to say "yes" and put him through to bootcamp.

At bootcamp, Clark sang the Pussycat Dolls' "Don't Cha" with former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, who was then a judge. After his performance, Barlow admitted: "[I] think he's going to haunt me throughout this competition." Barlow was reluctant to send Clark through to judges' houses, but the other three judges were in favour of him advancing. Clark was eventually put through into the boys category with Scherzinger as his mentor. At judges' houses in Dubai, he performed a stripped-back rendition of Rihanna's "We Found Love" in front of Scherzinger and Ne-Yo. Scherzinger later put Clark through to the live shows as one of her final three acts with James Arthur and Jahméne Douglas. She told him: "Rylan, it's such a big risk... but I have to take it, and you are in my final three", and he appeared to have an immense breakdown.

Clark sang "Gold" by Spandau Ballet in the first week of the live shows, and was in the bottom two with Carolynne Poole the following night. Scherzinger voted to save Clark, as he was her act, while Barlow and Tulisa voted to save Poole, based on their final showdown performance. Walsh, who had the casting vote, voted to save him, sending the result to deadlock, in which Clark had received more public votes than Poole and was saved, much to the disgust of Barlow, who stormed off stage and who later called Clark a "joke act" and "talentless".

In week 2, Clark continued to annoy Barlow by first performing part of Barlow's "Back for Good" and then claiming that he had booked him a cab in advance in case he stormed off-stage again, to which Barlow responded "That's funny [because] I've had yours on hold for two weeks." That week, he was put through to week three on the public vote. In week 5, he was again in the bottom two with Kye Sones, but he was saved by the public vote. This happened after Barlow and Walsh voted to eliminate Clark, while Scherzinger and Tulisa, who had the casting vote, voted to eliminate Sones. Tulisa sent the result to deadlock and Sones was eliminated. In week 7, Clark revealed on The Xtra Factor that his psychic had told him that he would reach week 7 of the competition before leaving. The following night, he advanced to the quarter-final through the public vote, before being eliminated by the judges in the quarter-final, with only Scherzinger voting to save him over Union J.

''Celebrity Big Brother''

Clark became a housemate in the eleventh series of Celebrity Big Brother in January 2013. He was the second celebrity to enter the Big Brother House. On launch night, Clark and Italian jockey Frankie Dettori selected which celebrities would join them in the House and who would be banished to the Basement. It was revealed midway through the series that, contrary to the show's rules of staying in the Big Brother House throughout the series, he had been leaving the house each Sunday to rehearse for The X Factor tour, which began a day after the live final on 25 January. He made it to the final five with Neil "Razor" Ruddock, Claire Richards, Ryan Moloney and Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. Clark was announced as the winner during the live final, after which he broke down into tears.

Channel 5 (2013–2018)

On 14 May 2013, as part of a revamp by Channel 5, Clark and AJ Odudu were announced as the new co-hosts of Big Brother's Bit on the Side, replacing Jamie East and Alice Levine. Emma Willis replaced Brian Dowling as host of Big Brother. In the 2015 series of Celebrity Big Brother UK vs USA, he also presented Bit on the Side on the weekends. For this series, the programme was renamed Bit on the State Side and filmed in an American-style studio. He presented Big Brother's Bit on the Side until the series was cancelled by Channel 5 in 2018.

In October 2015, Clark co-presented a special edition of Most Haunted Live with Jamie East on Really. In May 2016, he presented his own prime time chat show for Channel 5 called Up Late with Rylan. The show ended after one series.

ITV (2014–2020, 2023–)

During the tenth series of The X Factor, Clark provided the gossip from the show on This Morning and also acted as a Hub presenter until its removal from the programme in 2014. Since late 2014, Clark has also been credited as the main relief presenter for the series. He has presented with others including Ruth Langsford, Lorraine Kelly, Dan Neal (his ex-husband), Alison Hammond, Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Amanda Holden, Sarah Greene, Geri Halliwell, Gok Wan, Lisa Snowdon, Emma Willis, Rochelle Humes and Eamonn Holmes. On 1 July 2016, it was confirmed that Clark would co-host The Xtra Factor Live with Matt Edmondson. This would be the second time that a former X Factor contestant has co-hosted the series, the first being Olly Murs, who had co-hosted from 2011 to 2012.

In January 2017, it was announced that Clark would present a new daytime game show for ITV called Babushka. The show ended after one series. Clark also hosted a non-broadcast pilot for ITV2 panel show Codswallop. However, it was not commissioned for a full series. In December 2017, Rylan took a break from This Morning from the following January for a few months. Clark returned to This Morning briefly in both April 2018, July 2018 and August 2018 as a main show stand-in presenter. On 10 July 2019, it was revealed that he would present a revived version of Supermarket Sweep. The first series aired on ITV2 on 9 September 2019 to 4 October 2019. The second series aired on 1 September to 19 December 2020, however, the show moved to its original channel ITV.

In August 2025, while presenting This Morning, Clark made remarks about asylum seekers and illegal immigration that highlighted public concerns over taxpayer costs and limited vetting and monitoring of illegal migrants, which had in some cases been linked to criminal activity, prompting discussion. His remarks included claims about the support provided to asylum seekers, which some commentators criticised as misleading and contributing to negative perceptions of immigration. He later addressed the matter on Twitter, emphasising nuanced positions on social and political issues. His remarks were noted by some commentators in right-wing press as indicative of a shifting media debate and public opinion. Other press sources, however, pointed out the mistakes in his comments, such as his claim asylum seekers get free IPads and access to five star hotels, neither of which is provided by the government.

BBC (2018–present)

In 2018, it was announced that Clark would become a regular panellist on Eurovision: You Decide and he remained there until its cancellation in 2020. He also took over Mel Giedroyc's role as co-commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals alongside Scott Mills. In 2018, he covered for Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2, and took over her show when she moved to the station's breakfast show in January 2019, now titled Rylan on Saturday. Since January 2019, Rylan has also hosted multiple episodes of The One Show as a stand-in guest presenter.

On 18 April 2019, it was announced that Clark would begin co-presenting Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two with Zoe Ball. In May 2019, Clark was the spokesperson for the United Kingdom as part of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. On 2 September 2019, it was confirmed that he would host a revived daytime series of Ready Steady Cook on BBC One in 2020 and in 2021, it was renewed for series 2.

On 10 January 2023, it was announced that Clark would co-host the semi-final allocation draw for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

On 12 April 2023, it was announced that Clark would be stepping down from presenting Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two after 4 years.

In May 2023, Clark appeared as himself in the long-running BBC Radio 4 drama series The Archers. and launched the BBC Radio 4 podcast series How to Be a Man.

On 22 May 2023, Clark announced he was taking a break from his Radio 2 show Rylan on Saturday.

On New Year's Eve 2023 he sang "You Spin Me Round" in a duet with Rick Astley, and danced with him, on Astley's New Year show on BBC 1.

In May 2024, BBC Two aired the three-part series Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour, which has Clark and Rob Rinder visiting Venice, Florence and Rome, following in the footsteps of Lord Byron and discussing their own broken hearts. A follow up series Rob and Rylan's Passage to India was broadcast in September 2025. The three-part series featured the pair travelling through India and exploring its art and culture in homage to Rinder's favourite author E.M. Forster.

The second series of his BBC Radio 4 podcast Rylan: How to Be in the Spotlight aired in June 2024.

Other work

In February 2014, Clark made a guest appearance in the Sky 1 comedy series Stella. In 2015, he reached the final of BBC One's Celebrity MasterChef. On 21 January 2016, he announced on Twitter that he would release his autobiography titled The Life of Rylan on 30 June 2016. It reached number 1 in The Sunday Times Bestsellers List. He appeared as Ryan, an air steward, in the 2016 film Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. In 2017, he narrated the ITVBe reality series Spa Wars. In June 2020, it was announced that Clark would be co-hosting Big Brother: Best Shows Ever with Davina McCall.

In December 2023, Clark was announced as the host of the upcoming Paramount+ reality dating game show Dating Naked UK. Filming took place in Colombia in February 2024. In 2024, Clark appeared in the panto, Jack and the Beanstalk at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea and was nominated for his performance as Best Newcomer at The Pantomime Awards 2025.

In May 2025, he appeared as a fictional version of himself in the fifteenth series of Doctor Who in which he has been cryogenically frozen for hundreds of years to preserve him as a host of "The Interstellar Song Contest", an intergalactic singing contest in the far future inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest.

Personal life

Clark became engaged to Big Brother 14 housemate Dan Neal in September 2014, and they were married on 7 November 2015. On 27 June 2021, it was announced that the couple had separated after six years of marriage. At the end of the relationship, Clark had a breakdown and took four months off work, as well as spending a period of time in hospital. He said in an interview, "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 9 st and I am 6 foot 4 [1.93 m]."

Clark lives in Brentwood, Essex. He is a supporter of West Ham United FC.

Clark has made several references to perhaps being a persona, which he personifies within certain places. On podcasts and during interviews, he implies that there are fundamental and deep differences between "Ross" and "Rylan". Losing touch with "Ross", Clark believes, was a possible factor that triggered his breakdown.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (11 November 2012). "X Factor 2012: Shocker as Rylan Clark reveals his REAL name". [[Northern & Shell]].
2. (November 2021). "Rylan reveals his mum has been diagnosed with skin cancer".
3. (20 January 2022). "Strictly's Rylan Clark shares very rare photo of mum Linda – and she looks gorgeous".
4. Gibsone, Harriet. (15 October 2022). "Rylan Clark looks back: 'I wanted people to notice me. After being bullied it was an act of defiance'". The Guardian.
5. Pullman, Laura. (6 February 2024). "How I ended up in a psychiatric hospital — by Rylan Clark". [[The Times]].
6. Sansome, Jessica. (16 February 2023). "Rylan Clark's cheeky response after Frankie Bridge left stunned by revelation".
7. "ModelMayhem.com – Rylan Clark". ModelMayhem.com.
8. (26 January 2013). "Rylan Clark: 'I'll sue the f**k out of Speidi'". Digital Spy.
9. Jack Seale and Tom Cole. (2 October 2012). "The X Factor 2012: Rylan Clark". [[Radio Times]].
10. (10 November 2012). "Live show 6".
11. Aitkenhead, Decca. (16 December 2012). "Rylan Clark on The X Factor, death threats and being seen as a fame-hungry diva". [[The Guardian]].
12. Herman, Daisy. (28 May 2022). "Rylan Clark has 'no regrets' as he marks 10 years since X Factor audition".
13. (1 October 2012). "X Factor: Final Contestant Rylan Clark Overwhelmed By Getting Through, But Suffering Death Threats Behind The Scenes". [[AOL]].
14. Eames, Tom. (7 October 2012). "Carolynne Poole first to leave 'The X Factor'". [[Digital Spy]].
15. Vallahis, Maria. (14 October 2012). "Put your money where your mouth is...will Rylan Clark prove Gary Barlow wrong?". [[Heat (magazine).
16. (15 October 2012). "X Factor results show two drama as Rylan Clark breaks down in tears". [[STV (TV network).
17. Samander, Lema. (5 November 2012). "Kye Sones loses out to Rylan Clark after X Factor deadlock vote". Independent Print Limited.
18. (17 November 2012). "X Factor: Rylan packs bags following elimination 'tip'". [[STV (TV network).
19. (19 November 2012). "X Factor's Rylan Clark breaks down over his 'guilt' at Ella Henderson's shock exit". [[Northern & Shell]].
20. Fahey, John. (26 November 2012). "Rylan Clark axed from the X Factor". The Independent.
21. Sperling, Daniel. (21 January 2013). "Celebrity Big Brother: Rylan secretly exiting house for 'X Factor'". [[Digital Spy]].
22. Graham, Daniella. (25 January 2013). "Rylan Clark has X Factor-style meltdown after being named Celebrity Big Brother winner". [[Metro (British newspaper).
23. (14 May 2013). "Rylan Clark and AJ Odudu join Big Brother spin-off show". BBC News.
24. Gibbons, Lottie. (14 September 2018). "Celebrity Big Brother CANCELLED after 18 years as Channel 5 axes show".
25. (20 March 2016). "Rylan is getting his own evening talk show".
26. (9 May 2017). "Rylan Clark-Neal's Chat Show 'Up Late With Rylan' Axed After One Series".
27. Duffy, Robyn. (22 August 2022). "This Morning viewers demand Ruth and Rylan replace Holly and Phil permanently".
28. (13 April 2016). "This Morning Viewers Outraged As Holly And Phil Present Live From Denise Robertson's Funeral".
29. (8 July 2016). "Rylan and Dan make history! So did they enjoy it?".
30. Rodger, James. (24 November 2023). "Alison Hammond declares love for Rylan after 'annoying' co-star move".
31. Walford, Jessica. (3 April 2017). "Holly Willoughby calls in sick to This Morning leaving Phil to host with Rylan".
32. "Rylan Clark-Neal to replace Phillip Schofield on This Morning – but not for long".
33. Starkey, Adam. (1 June 2018). "Rylan Clark-Neal kicks cake into Amanda Holden's face while she does a headstand".
34. Starkey, Adam. (4 August 2017). "Rylan Clark-Neal in hysterics as This Morning is interrupted by random woman".
35. Akingbade, Tobi. (26 August 2017). "Geri Horner reveals bloodied face after cat-attack ahead of This Morning gig".
36. Sporn, Natasha. (8 August 2018). "Rylan Clark-Neal scolds Gok Wan for flirty This Morning phone-in".
37. (7 August 2018). "This Morning viewers slam "cruel" dog segment".
38. Iftikhar, Asyia. (30 November 2023). "Rylan Clark returns to This Morning as host: 'Look who's back'".
39. Deen, Sarah. (22 February 2019). "David Duchovny hijacks live TV with Rylan and might have found a new career".
40. (21 June 2019). "This Morning's Rylan steps in for Ruth Langsford following her sister's death".
41. "Rylan Clark-Neal - This Morning Live".
42. (1 July 2016). "The Xtra Factor: Rylan Clark-Neal officially joins Matt Edmondson as a co-host this year".
43. (30 January 2017). "Rylan Clark-Neal lands his own ITV gameshow - leaving CBB?".
44. (18 October 2022). "Random Rewind: Babushka, ITV".
45. Guide, British Comedy. "Codswallop - ITV2 Panel Show".
46. Westbrook, Caroline. (3 April 2018). "Rylan Clark-Neal age, husband and career as he returns to This Morning".
47. (10 July 2019). "Rylan Clark-Neal to host Supermarket Sweep reboot". BBC News.
48. (31 August 2020). "Supermarket Sweep returns with a new home on ITV Daytime".
49. (28 August 2025). "What are asylum seekers actually entitled to? Rylan's comments about four-star hotels go viral".
50. Chesterton, George. (2025-08-28). "Why Rylan Clark could be Labour's worst nightmare". The Telegraph.
51. Roberts, Gareth. (2025-08-28). "Rylan is a sign the immigration debate is shifting".
52. Eastham, Janet. (2025-08-07). "Revealed: 200 asylum hotel residents charged with crimes this year". The Telegraph.
53. Cotton, Elizabeth. (2025-09-10). "This Morning hit with 702 Ofcom complaints after Rylan's immigration comments".
54. McCaig, Ewan. (6 February 2018). "United Kingdom: You Decide panelists revealed". Eurovoix.
55. (29 March 2018). "2018 presenter line-up revealed". BBC.
56. "The Zoe Ball Show: Rylan Clark-Neal Sits In". BBC.
57. (8 November 2018). "Rylan Clark-Neal to launch new Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2". BBC.
58. Rodger. (18 April 2019). "Rylan Clark-Neal joins Strictly Come Dancing as It Takes Two host".
59. Mozafari, Laurence. (18 April 2019). "Strictly Come Dancing's It Takes Two adds new host Rylan Clark-Neil alongside Zoe Ball".
60. Herbert, Emily. (24 April 2019). "United Kingdom: Rylan Revealed as Eurovision 2019 Spokesperson". Eurovoix.
61. "Rylan Clark-Neal to host all new Ready Steady Cook on BBC One". BBC.
62. (20 February 2021). "Ready Steady Cook will return for second series next month".
63. "Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Handover and Allocation Draw live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer". BBC.
64. "Rylan to step down from BBC Strictly It Takes Two". BBC.
65. "BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 12/05/2023". BBC.
66. Norris, Lucy. (3 May 2023). "Rylan Clark explores modern man in new BBC Radio 4 podcast".
67. (22 May 2023). "BBC Radio 2 - Rylan on Saturday, 22/05/2023".
68. (14 May 2024). "Rylan Clark shares message as fans react to new travel show with Rob Rinder {{!}} Virgin Radio UK".
69. Samadder, Rhik. (2025-09-13). "Rob and Rylan's Passage to India: the funniest TV tour of the country ever created". The Guardian.
70. "Lily Allen, Miquita Oliver, Natalie Cassidy, Joanna Page, Nicola Coughlan and Joanne McNally to front new BBC Sounds podcasts PLUS the return of Rylan". BBC.
71. Guide, British Comedy. "Stella Series 3, Episode 5".
72. Mayer Nissim. (13 May 2015). "Rylan Clark, Sarah Harding and Chesney Hawkes join Celebrity MasterChef". Digital Spy.
73. "Rylan Clark-Neal". Colbert Macalister.
74. "Rylan shares first picture of Absolutely Fabulous cameo role". [[ITV News]].
75. "Spa Wars". [[What's on TV]].
76. "Rylan responds to viewer complaints after Best Shows Ever misses out fan favourite episodes". Digitalbox.
77. Scott, Danni. (12 December 2023). "Rylan Clark's new naked dating show sounds ridiculous".
78. Sansome, Jessica. (23 May 2024). "Rylan Clark applauded for new move as he details effect The X Factor had on him".
79. (March 2025). "The UK Pantomime Association announces the nominations for The Pantomime Awards 2025 celebrating a wealth of talent across the UK's theatre industry".
80. Evans, Greg. (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who fans react to Rylan Clark's 'surreal' cameo in Eurovision-themed episode". The Independent.
81. Kadrou, Hayley. (16 August 2018). "Rylan Clark and Dan Neal's relationship timeline: Inside the This Morning presenter's adorable romance, from his husband's dramatic proposal to their secretive wedding and making TV history".
82. (11 January 2019). "Rylan Clark-Neal faces homophobic abuse on London street". Pink News.
83. Earp, Catherine. (2 July 2021). "Rylan Clark-Neal breaks his silence following split from husband Dan".
84. (17 September 2022). "Rylan Clark says his body 'shut down' and his speech was 'slurred' amid divorce".
85. Harris, Sophie. (14 March 2021). "The quiet Essex town TV personality Rylan Clark calls home - where properties are 340,000 pounds". [[Daily Express]].
86. Smith, Julia Llewellyn. (2025-09-11). "Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder: 'We're like a married couple – we argue and don't have sex'". The Telegraph.
87. (6 May 2022). "Rylan Clark celebrates becoming 'face of football internationally' after Real Madrid joke gets out of hand".
88. Staples, Louis. (13 February 2024). "Only Rylan could have made Homophobia, Football and Me". i.
89. (15 January 2023). "Ross Clark: Prepare To Meet The Real Rylan".
90. (8 August 2017). "Celebrity Ghost Hunt Live enlists Love Island's Chris".
91. (25 January 2019). "The One Show".
92. (12 February 2023). "BBC to show highlights of Het Grote Songfestivalfeest".
93. "Eurovision 2023 Handover and Allocation Draw - What to expect and how to watch on BBC Two and iPlayer".
94. "Channel 4 Gets Sex Rated". Channel 4.
95. "BBC Two and BBC Music announces Cher Meets Rylan".
96. "Hot Mess Summer".
97. "Rob Rinder and Rylan set off on a Grand Tour across Italy".
98. "How to watch Dating Naked UK - where can you stream Rylan series?".
99. "BBC Two and BBC Music announces Mariah Meets Rylan".
100. "BAFTA Television Award winners Rob Rinder and Rylan reveal details of new series from BBC Arts".
101. "Rob and Rylan embark on a Greek Odyssey in an epic third adventure for BBC Arts".
102. "How to be a Man - Rylan explores modern masculinity in his podcast debut for BBC Radio 4".
103. "Top 10 LGBT+ Broadcasters or Journalists 2017". [[British LGBT Awards]].
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