Rylan Clark is someone you know your grandmother would adore, but who your younger family would also find amusing. Rylan has been a consistent and trustworthy presenter with a cross-generational appeal, having presented a range of shows including Strictly Come Dancing‘s spin-off It Takes Two and a Saturday show on Radio 2.
But now, at 35, Rylan no longer wants to ‘play it safe’, and while he is clearly still adored by people of all ages, some may be surprised by his current professional decision.
With a fresh desire to try something new, he’s starring in a new programme labelled “wilder than Geordie Shore.” Rylan believes that there are similarities to the MTV juggernaut, but he also sees elements of Sun, Sex, and Suspicious Parents.
Prime Video’s Hot Mess Summer sees eight young Brits arrive in Zante, expecting to be recorded partying for the next several months; instead, they must operate one of the Greek island’s biggest pubs.
‘It’s similar to old television shows that I used to enjoy. People are now hesitant to take chances, not necessarily with the networks, but with production and candidates. He vehemently exclaimed, “I don’t want to see people wrapped in cotton wool.”
Rylan would never have taken on this position before, but after going through a big life transition – divorcing from spouse Dan Neal after six years of marriage in 2021 – he is ready to start taking risks.
‘I’ve been really lucky to host a load of shows, and over the past two years I have just wanted to try something new,’ he explained.
He demonstrated his seriousness by leaving BBC’s It Takes Two last year, a decision that surprised both his management and viewers at the time.
‘Hot Mess Summer is something I wouldn’t have done four or five years ago, just because I wouldn’t really want to be away from home for a month but now I’m Mr Single I can do what I want.
‘I’m finally in control of my life. I was Mr Safe, but now I’m Mr Risky.’
Nothing screams I’m single like travelling to Zante for the summer, but instead of drinking tequila at 3 a.m., Rylan was narrating twenty-somethings doing it. While spending time with these new reality stars, he couldn’t help but ponder on his Hollywood beginnings.
In 2011, he appeared on Signed by Katie Price, where 13 contestants who wanted fame had to convince the media personality that they were up for the job. He lost out to Amy Wilterton, who went on to be Miss Universe Great Britain and a campmate on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The following year things really took off when he competed on The X Factor, and while some may have referred to him as the joke act, he’s certainly the one laughing now.
‘I knew exactly what the contestants were going through, as I’ve been there. What’s lovely is they know that and they’d ask me something knowing I was going to tell the truth.
‘I would speak to them not for the show, or the cameras – although, some of the chats did end up on the show. I’m like everyone’s big brother,’ he stated. His accidental reference to his former show is something we deep dive into a little later…
The duty of care on reality shows continues to become more stringent to protect the contestants, but Rylan also encouraged the stars to take responsibility for their actions.
‘I’d never force someone to be in a situation that they didn’t want to be in but my advice to them all is unless you say it or do it, we can’t show it.
‘You often see reality stars come out and blame the edit, but we didn’t put words in your mouth, and we didn’t tell you to spit in that girl’s mouth – something that does happen on Hot Mess Summer.’
His other golden piece of advice – ‘Be cheap and be nice,’ he stated with a cheeky smile, flashing me his famously white smile.
Rylan takes a moment before adding a more serious point. ‘One day you’ll have a fall – a couple of years ago I got quite ill and had to take time off work and that was my fall.’
Rylan took a four-month leave of absence from work in 2021 following the dissolution of his partnership.
‘When I was ready to do it all again everyone was waiting to pick me up and that wouldn’t have been the case if I was horrible to people,’ he told us.
In terms of exes, Rylan feels compelled to regard his decision to no longer work on his long-term love Big Brother as a split.
We can see that mindset coming into play when we ask Rylan what shows other presenters host that he’d love to talk the helm of, after he tweeted: ‘Sometimes I watch shows and think, I wish I was presenting that. But not #TheTraitors , Claud is the PERFECT host.’
When he initially avoids the topic by praising his buddy Claudia Winkleman (who deserves it, by the way), we ask again.
‘I see what you’re getting at,’ he warned playfully. Although we had some Big Brother questions prepared, this was not what we intended at the time, but we opted to follow Rylan’s lead instead. If someone starts talking about their metaphorical ex (much as when they talk about their actual ex), you better get your tea while it’s hot before they turn off the kettle!
Rylan won the celebrity edition in 2013, and months later, he began hosting Big Brother’s Bit on the Side on Channel 5, a role he held until the show ended in 2018. He even married 2013 housemate Dan Neal after meeting in the studio, but they separated when Rylan admitted to adultery.
‘I’m very happy and content with where I am,’ he explained when we asked if he’d return to Big Brother.
Despite accepting that he was not invited to participate in the show when it returned last year, he will not be watching the show currently hosted by Will Best and his old BBBOTS co-host AJ Odudu.
‘I’m not gonna go to my ex’s wedding, let’s be honest,’ he remarked.
‘It was such a massive part of my life, it still is, and it always will be. Big Brother changed my life.
‘I still think it’s one of the best formats in the world. It’s difficult because I’ve worked there for so long, and it wasn’t up to us that it went.
‘When I knew it was coming back I was I was like, “This is amazing” and then when I knew I wasn’t going back, I was like, “Okay, maybe this is my reset”. It was my chance to learn there’s more to life than Big Brother.’
While Rylan’s face is no longer seen on Big Brother, he still appears on This Morning, and he enjoys the flexibility of being a stand-in host rather than a contractual presenter.
‘I don’t care. It’s not my show,’ he told me after regaling an anecdote about how Josie Gibson was forced to present alone when Rylan was late coming back from the toilet.
When asked if This Morning has changed over the years (the last year has been especially unusual, with Phillip Schofield leaving after confessing to an imprudent but not criminal affair with a young runner), Rylan said diplomatically: ‘Yes.’
‘I met my telly mom and dad – Ruth [Langsford] and Eamonn [Holmes] on that show. I’ve been lucky enough to present it with pretty much everyone.
‘I had a big break from it and now just pop back in now and again. That’s a nice feeling for me.’
Rylan’s future looks as bright as his grin, wherever he appears!
Hot Mess Summer launches February 7 on Prime Video in the UK & Ireland
Source My Celebrity Life.