SINCE bursting onto the scene on The X Factor more than a decade ago, Rylan Clark has become one of the biggest stars on British television.
His rise to fame has been meteoric and now he is one of the the UK’s favourite TV and radio stars.
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Who is Rylan Clark?
Rylan Clark-Neal was born Ross Richard Clark on October 25, 1988 in Stepney, East London.
He grew up in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, and was raised by his mother Linda Clark and his older brother Jamie.
Rylan spent his early career working for Optical Express in Lakeside Shopping Centre.
He became a part-time model from the age of 16 and it was during his early modelling career that he adopted the stage name “Rylan”.
In 2007, he applied for Big Brother 8 but revealed “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 January 2010.
In 2011 Rylan was a finalist on the Sky Living modelling competition Signed by Katie Price, finishing as runner-up behind Amy Willerton.
Rylan and Katie have since maintained a strong relationship, and she often guest stars on his shows.
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When is Rylan Clark commentating Eurovision 2024?
Rylan is commenting on 2024’s Eurovision alongside Scott Mills.
Speaking about what we can expect, he said: “Everything you love from me and Scott, just in Swedish!”
He then went on to talk about who he think might win this year’s programme, saying: “At this stage, I tend not to have any favourites, but normally during the week of Eurovision a few really start to stand out that you just can’t get out of your head.”
What happened to Rylan on X Factor?
In May 2012 Rylan auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor in front of Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Tulisa and guest judge Rita Ora.
He amused the judges and the studio audience with his friendly banter and bubbly personality, before singing a dance version of Des’ree’s Kissing You.
He got through to the live finals (with an unforgettable emotional outburst) but was eliminated by the judges in week 8.
What did Rylan do after he left X Factor?
Rylan starred in the eleventh series of Celebrity Big Brother in January 2013.
He famously was involved in many run-ins with Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt – but has made up with them.
Rylan went on to win the show, with Speidi coming second.
He was so well-received on the show that he was given the job of presenting the spin-off show Big Brother’s Bit on the Side in May 2013.
Since then, his presenting career has sky-rocketed.
What TV shows has Rylan presented?
Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side (2013 – 2018)
The star was given his big break as a presenter by taking on the role for the Channel 5 show as the master of ceremonies during the spin-off.
He then became one of the main hosts alongside the live show presenter Emma Willis.
But the job came to an end when Big Brother ended in 2018.
The Xtra Factor (2016)
Rylan went back to his roots and hosted the ITV2 X Factor spin-off Xtra Factor for one series in 2016.
Starring alongside Matt Richardson, the pair interviewed those who had been kicked off the show, as well as celebrity guests.
While the new format show was well-received at the time, ITV bosses decided to pull the plug on the show as both series started falling in numbers.
As a result, the 2016-17 series was announced as the last series of the Xtra Factor.
Up Late with Rylan (2016)
Channel 5 gave Rylan his own TV show and the star led the way with celebrity interviews and tongue-in-cheek humour.
However, numbers for the show were not great and it was eventually cancelled after only one series.
Babushka (2017)
Babushka replaced The Chase on ITV in the first half of 2017, much to the dismay of die-hard fans.
It was fun while it lasted though but unfortunately, Babushka was never meant to last and was shuttered by ITV to make way for the return of The Chase on May 29.
This Morning (2017 – 2022)
Rylan became a supporting presenter on the long-running TV show, with his showbiz segment and frequent appearances.
However, he hasn’t hosted on the show since 2022.
The Wave (2018)
The Wave involved the contestants heading out into the ocean.
The players had to pick up bags of cash or pebbles and make their way to a pontoon where they then had to answer a series of questions.
If they got the question right they won the cash.
Saturday afternoon on Radio 2 (2018)
In November 2018 it was announced Rylan would take over Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 slot on Saturday afternoons.
The vacancy appeared after Zoe was moved to the weekday morning time following Chris Evans’ decision to leave the BBC and return to Virgin Radio.
Rylan said: “I’m so excited and honoured to be joining the BBC Radio 2 family.
“I can’t wait to get started and look forward to being in the studio from the New Year.”
Supermarket Sweep (2019)
Supermarket Sweep was rebooted with Rylan as the face of the show.
At the time of casting, he said: “It’s a dream come true to step inside this very special supermarket and host one of the most iconic series in television history.
“I am beside myself with excitement and will be going wilder in the aisles than ever before. Fill up your trolley, grab your bag for life and let’s go shopping!”
Ready Steady Cook (2020)
Rylan revived another show in 2020.
Ready Steady Cook was originally hosted by Fern Britton.
“To be asked to host such an amazing show for the BBC is such a privilege,” he said.
Strictly It Takes Two (2019 to 2023)
Rylan joined Zoe Ball on the Strictly spin-off show in 2019.
He eventually was named main host of the show, after Zoe left.
However, in 2023 Rylan revealed he had left the show
Eurovision (2023/2024)
Eurovision super fan Rylan landed his dream job when it was announced he would be doing the commentary for the famous Song Contest in May 2023.
He took over from Graham Norton, who hosts the event instead.
What has Rylan said about his famous white teeth?
Rylan spent £25,000 on veneers back in 2013 to make his teeth as white and as straight as possible.
But he said they were a saving grace when he started presenting the Big Brother spin-off show.
“These teeth were the best and worst decision of my life,” he told The Daily Star.
“For the first three months of Big Brother I was a terrible TV presenter. But everyone was talking about the teeth.
“By the time they’d stopped talking about the teeth I was good at my job.
“I literally learned on the job.”
Eurovision’s Rylan Clark’s emotional reaction broadcast to 150m viewers as star leaps out of his seat
