Rylan Clark has revealed that he is dating again when he opened up about his love life on Wednesday, two years after his split from husband Dan Neal.
The presenter, 35, suffered a mental health breakdown following his marriage breakup in 2021 after being together for five years.
During Rylan’s last BBC TV series, Grand Tour with Rob Rinder, the pair went on fun blind dates which the former X Factor says is a rare occurrence for him.
He explained that he is “unlucky in love” and that he has only had “two dates” after the breakup of his marriage, but neither of them were the right one for him.
Rylan said: ‘Hopefully my luck with men is about to change. I always thought when you were younger “imagine if you were well known, you could get anyone you wanted.” It’s quite the opposite. I’ve had two dates in the last two years.
Rylan Clark has revealed that he is dating again as he opened up about his love life on Wednesday following his split from husband Dan Neal.
The presenter, 35, suffered a mental health breakdown following his marital separation in 2021 from now ex Dan.
‘One of them was really great and going well. And then my job became too much for him to live with. And then the other one was so interested in my work that he decided to call the press. So they are the two opposite ends of the spectrum. I need someone in the middle who can take care of it, but I don’t want it.
Rylan said his divorce was the “worst experience of his life” as he went into a “downward spiral” and tried to “end” his own life.
The Radio 2 presenter continued: ‘I just started a downward spiral. I tried to finish it. I tried to finish myself off. I didn’t eat, I lost nine kilos. I’m six foot four. Rob, he looked horrible.
When talking about divorce, Rylan added that it has taught him that “nothing lasts forever unless it’s right.”
During the BBC series Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, the pair explore Venice, Rome and Florence.
Rylan and Dan split in 2021 after six years of marriage and the star was forced to take time away from work to care for his mental health.
In his memoir, Ten: The Decade That Changed My Future, Rylan reveals that he cheated on Dan “years ago” but didn’t tell him until 2021, causing the former police officer to walk away.
During Rylan’s last BBC TV series, Grand Tour with Rob Rinder, the pair went on brilliantly funny dates which the former X Factor says is a rare occurrence for him.
He explained that he is “unlucky in love” and has only had “two dates” after the breakup of his marriage, but neither of them were right for him.
Rylan said: ‘I’ve been on two dates in the last two years. One of them was really great and doing well, then my job was too much for her to live with.’
She wrote: ‘I woke up one morning and decided to tell my now ex that I had cheated on him years ago. I’m not sure why it was that time or that day that I had to do it. But I did it.’
Of the reaction, Rylan continued: ‘He’s gone. She told me she was done and that was it. Aren’t you surprised? I understand. But she couldn’t believe it.’
As for why he cheated, Rylan said, “I have no excuses for what I did back then, but I had my reasons.”
“I think for many years I felt a bit like an imposter. That nothing he was doing was right or good enough. There were times when people told me this and thus confirmed my own doubts.
‘And you know, when it’s the people closest to you who are giving you this feedback, of course you take it seriously. Similarly, having someone love me this way was everything I had ever wanted and now I had found it.
“The reality is that throughout my relationship I began to feel bad: I felt like I was bad for being successful, bad for being me.”
While the couple tried to give their relationship another chance, Dan eventually left again after just two weeks.
Following his divorce in 2021, Rylan took a four-month break from the spotlight and canceled all of his work commitments, including hosting Eurovision.
Rylan later confirmed the split in a statement that read: “Following reports that Dan and I have been spending time apart, I feel I have to speak out as the way it is being reported is unfair.”
Rylan and Dan separated in 2021 after six years of marriage and the star was forced to take time off work to care for her mental health.
“I have made a series of mistakes that I deeply regret and that have inevitably led to the breakdown of our marriage.”
The TV presenter explained how he tried to take his own life twice after reaching a point where he couldn’t “see, hear, eat, breathe or sleep”.
Discussing their struggle on Matt Willis’ On The Mend podcast, Rylan said he “lost himself” after the divorce.
Rylan said: ‘I don’t remember what made me basically disappear from the person I knew.
‘But the next thing I knew I couldn’t see, hear, eat, breathe, sleep… I couldn’t do anything.
“And yeah, there was no sign that he was having a breakdown, there was no sign of… like you’re having a heart attack, your arm would hurt, you’d get this… you know, something’s going on.” about to happen even if it’s seconds before.
“I didn’t have the seconds, I basically had the impact. The baseball bat around the face I call it. And yes, I got very sick.’
Despite the pain he felt at the time, Rylan no longer feels like he dropped a bomb and ruined his “supposedly” perfect life.
He adds that in the end he believes he was finally saved, although he didn’t realize it at the time.
He said: “I think the breakdown of my marriage has made me the person I am now and I am very, very happy with the person I am now. I can sleep very well at night.”
‘Because of that trauma, it has really made me a lot stronger. I think, “I’m fine, you’re healthy, you’ve got a little money in the bank, you’re fine.”
In a cryptic admission about their divorce, Rylan added: “And next time, I’d get a prenup.” Dumb whore.’
Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour starts on Sunday 12 May at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
