Seven years ago, he was a sobbing joke act on The X Factor. But Rylan Clark-Neal has gone from reality star laughing stock to one of the most in-demand presenters on television.
And he’s done it with a big heart and those big, big teeth.
TV bosses can’t get enough of Rylan and this week he was announced as the new co-presenter, alongside Zoe Ball, of the BBC’s flagship show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.
Rylan, 30, really has come a long way from the ginger-haired boy born Ross who was raised by a single mum from Essex.
His rise to the top has been fuelled by an unwavering desire to be famous.
Every knockback has been faced with a smile and an understanding of how to do better.
Like thousands before him, the teenage Ross headed for European hotspots – joining a Take That tribute band in Ibiza and Spanish boyband 4bidden.
(Image: PA)
His aim was always higher (well he is 6ft 4in) and in 2007 he applied for Big Brother 8. But disaster struck.
Rylan said: “The day I was going in, it got taken away from me b ecause it got leaked to the Press. It was devastating.”
Many would have perhaps gone back to normal life but Rylan had enjoyed a brief taste of the limelight and he wanted more.
He’d been a model since he was 16, and had appearing in four episodes of BBC1 show John Bishop’s Britain. By then, he’d changed his name to Rylan.
Not many remember him from that but they do remember him for his next step up – the Sky Living modelling contest Signed by Katie Price.
Former glamour model Katie was looking for a new fame-hungry hopeful to mentor. And with his blond extensions, love of a tan and cheeky demeanour, Rylan became the firm favourite with viewers and with Katie, who has remained friends with him since the show.
(Image: Channel 5)
Former Miss Great Britain Amy Willerton came first in the contest. But Rylan was the real winner.
His next step was to audition for reality shows. And he certainly worked hard to get noticed.
In 2012, at the age of 23, he auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor.
Rylan didn’t come close to winning but with his shoulder length blond hair extensions and the most camp demeanour seen on television since John Inman, he was the stand-out star of the series.
Questionable singing aside, Rylan was put through to the live shows by mentor Nicole Scherzinger, who admitted he was a “great risk”.
(Image: Channel 4)
No one was more shocked than Rylan, who burst into the tears, fell to the floor and sobbed uncontrollably in typical over-the-top Rylan style.
That moment has gone on to be one of the show’s most iconic moments.
It wasn’t plain sailing for Rylan, though. Take That’s Gary Barlow, who was on the judging panel, called him “talentless” and a “joke act”.
And the some viewers weren’t impressed that he was given a shot despite being the weakest singer among the contestants.
Rylan said: “I was getting death threats while I was on X Factor. I felt like the country’s most hated man.”
Still, he soldiered on and promised to make up for his vocal short-comings by giving the biggest, most colourful performance every week.
In week eight of the live shows, he was voted out of the competition. Rylan showed his good nature by saying of judge Gary: “I adore and respect him – we aren’t bezzie mates by any means, but we get on.”
(Image: Channel 5)
Since then, Rylan has barely looked back. He put the mic aside as he realised that simply being himself was his calling-card for the fame he’s always coveted.
He was snapped up to star in the next Celebrity Big Brother and, of course, he won. And, of course, he broke down in tears again.
But he came across so well on CBB that it was a no-brainer for Channel 5 to make him the presenter of Big Brothers’ Bit on the Side.
With his interest in others and quick wit, Rylan was able to control the often unruly and excited guests and audience and he stayed in the job until Channel 5 axed Big Brother last year.
ITV came calling getting and he landed a gig on This Morning in 2013 where he reported on X Factor gossip. He then got a seat on the couch as a stand-in main presenter.
Rylan made history in 2016 when he presented This Morning with his husband Dan Neal, a former police officer who was in Big Brother in 2013.
As well as finding a partner that year, Rylan got himself some new teeth, splashing £25,000 on veneers.
His huge, luminous white gnashers are often ridiculed. But he takes it on the chin.
When it was announced he had the Strictly job this week, he said he couldn’t wait to get his “big old teeth” stuck into hosting the show.
Of course, his rise to the top hasn’t been without setbacks.
While he surprised viewers with his expertise in the kitchen in 2015’s Celebrity MasterChef, his chat show Up Late With Rylan in 2016 bombed.
And a stint presenting X Factor’s spin off show The Xtra Factor only lasted for one series.
In 2017, he tried his hand at game shows with ITV’s Babushka. But it was mocked by critics and his next attempt The Wave also sunk.
Last year, after announcing he was taking a break from presenting on This Morning, there were claims he and Dan were having a baby and even rumours he was terminally ill.
The truth was far simpler. Rylan, who had spent years climbing the career ladder, was burnt-out. He said he “needed a break for my head, my body, my peace of mind.”
It seemed to do the trick and last year Rylan bounced back, getting his foot through another door as a panellist on Eurovison: You Decide and joining Scott Mills as the semi-final co-commentator.
Rylan hosts a Saturday afternoon show on Radio 2 and it feels like he’s not been off our screens this year. Whether he’s making a cake that looks like a poo on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off or clashing with Sam Allardyce on Celebrity Apprentice, it’s always TV gold.
He said he would never take part in Strictly because he fears he would break “every bone” in his body.
So you won’t see Rylan do a rhumba or cha cha. But you can be sure he’ll bring his own brand of glitter to the spin-off show this autumn.
