Known for his breakout role on ITV’s The X Factor, Rylan Clark recently opened up about the long-lasting effects the show has had on him.
Despite achieving fame and a presenting career following his X Factor stint, Rylan confessed that his stint on the reality talent show left him with PTSD.
The TV personality appeared on the competition show in 2012. He was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger and finished in fifth place.
Rylan Clark opens up about The X Factor
The 2012 series of The X Factor cast Rylan in a role that he now regrets — the “joke act”.
As part of this persona, he was often tasked with performing songs that did not suit his vocal abilities.
“Every week I was thrown into the lion’s den doing stuff that I didn’t know,” Rylan confessed.
This experience had a psychological impact on Rylan, to the extent that he now “hates being made to sing”.
“It’s like an internal thing now. Once you’ve been through that, when someone goes, ‘Go on, just do it’, it makes me go, ‘I can’t, I can’t just go and do it’. I feel like I’ve worked so hard to move away from that ‘f***ing idiot’ that I was perceived as, that character who couldn’t sing,” Rylan shared.
“That could [bleep] someone up majorly.”
This reflection on his journey came during the final episode of his BBC Two series Rob And Rylan’s Grand Tour.
During the episode, co-host Rob Rinder arranged for Rylan to sing with an opera concerto in Rome. However, this situation only heightened his anxieties, leading to a mini breakdown.
Despite initially agreeing, Rylan ultimately turned his back on the opportunity.
Rylan Clark hosts Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour
However, Rylan’s time on the Grand Tour also served as an eye-opening journey.
He expressed a newfound realisation about his capabilities and self-worth. “If I’ve learned anything on this Grand Tour, it is that there’s more to me than that. I’m not thick, I’ve got more to give than just being that idiot on the telly with the shiny teeth” Rylan said.
Now, more than a decade since his appearance on The X Factor, Rylan has carved out a successful career in television and radio.
Rylan and his co-host Rob have recently been under public scrutiny regarding their relationship.
In a Twitter post, Rylan criticised a journalist who disturbed his mother at her home in an attempt to grill her about her son’s dating life.
The duo have denied having a romantic relationship.
Read more: Rob Rinder in tears as Rylan Clark admits he ‘tried to end it’ following marriage breakdown
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