Rylan: 8 of his most memorable moments
It’s 10 years since Rylan first entered the nation’s consciousness, a milestone marked by the release of his new memoir, TEN: The Decade That Shaped My Future.
That decade represents a remarkable journey, one which has seen Rylan go from reality television star, to a national treasure with his own BBC Radio 2 show. Not many make such a journey; fewer do it whilst retaining a positive perception amongst the public. Yet Rylan’s ability to remain true to himself throughout his rise has certainly helped endear him to the nation’s television watchers.
On Wednesday 21 September we welcome Rylan to our Royal Festival Hall as he celebrated the release of TEN in conversation with Claudie Winkleman. It’s a book which covers everything from fame and celebrity to his mental health, identity, family and relationships, and a story recounted with candour and humour.
And it is with that humour which we celebrate his upcoming appearance with a look back across some of Rylan’s most memorable moments of TEN’s decade.
THAT X-Factor reaction
Prior to 2012, Rylan had made occasional appearances on our TV screens, popping up in shows such as John Bishop’s Britain, and Signed by Katie Price, but it was through the ITV show X-Factor that he made his first real impact. The judges may not all have been convinced by him – with Gary Barlow taking the role of pantomime villain – yet Nicole Scherzinger showed enough faith to put him through to the final shows; a decision which offered up one of the all-time infamous X-Factor clips as it prompted a reaction that could certainly never be described as understated.
Winning Celebrity Big Brother
Rylan made it through to week eight of X-Factor (no, we don’t know either whether that’s far into the competition or not – seems a lot though) a stint which propelled him to enough of a household name to be deemed worthy of inclusion in 2013’s Celebrity version of Big Brother. Once again Rylan’s down-to-earthness made him a firm favourite of the viewing public, and he saw out the show’s full 23 days to be declared its winner. Looking back on Celebrity Big Brother now, it really is possible to date series by the participants involved. Here for example, is a clip of Rylan in what would ordinarily be an unlikely musical five-piece with Gillian Taylforth, Heartbeat’s Tricia Penrose, footballer Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock and Toadfish off Neighbours.
His relationship with his mum
That down-to-earthness which made Rylan a hit in Celebrity Big Brother has continued to endear him to audiences in his subsequent television appearances. Lately this has come through his stint on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside his mum Linda. A relationship unchanged by Rylan’s fame, it will be recognisable to anyone who has at some point found themselves rolling their eyes at a parent’s perfectly reasonable behaviour.
Breaking down boundaries
A relationship of a different kind saw Rylan make headlines in the summer of 2016. He’d been a stand-in host of ITV’s This Morning since 2014, having previously hosted reality television-related segments on the show. Then two years into this role, he was part of the first gay couple to host the network’s flagship daytime programme, when he presented a run of episodes with then husband Dan Neal.
His self-deprecating humour
There are no airs and graces about Rylan, with his self-awareness proving a particularly endearing trait. Unlike many celebrities he’s not afraid to be open and honest about cosmetic work he has had done, and on social media he’s often proved self-deprecating about his singing talent, as well as pre-empting jibes about his appearance.
His 24 hour Karaoke challenge
Though he often plays down his singing voice, Rylan is still more than willing to grab the microphone and belt out a few bars. Something he took to the nth degree for BBC Children in Need in 2019, when he performed a 24 hour karaoke marathon. The feat saw him perform a total of 231 songs, joined by 90 different celebrity guests in the process, to help raise over £1million for the charity.
Hitting back at the trolls
As well as hosting This Morning, Rylan has also gone on to present Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, Big Brother’s Bit on the Side and revived gameshows Supermarket Sweep and Ready, Steady, Cook. As is sadly the way, this fame, plus a prominence on Twitter, has inevitably made him a target for social media trolls. Rather than shy away from the abuse and unfounded criticisms however, Rylan has earned praise for calling them out, notably doing so after someone found his adverts for used car company Cinch too much to bear.
Loving life with Matt Goss
As we mentioned at the head of this piece, Rylan can now be found hosting his own show on BBC Radio 2. Rylan on Saturday has earned a significant following, with the karaoke (or rather kaRYoke) turns with his guests proving a particular highlight; for its host as well as its audience.