Rylan Clark has spoken out about the horrific abuse he suffered while filming his BBC series with Rob Rinder in Venice, Italy.
The Eurovision presenter, 35, got candid while chatting on Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right podcast and revealed how the audience shouted homophobic comments at him during filming.
Rylan had been filming Rob And Rylan’s Grand Tour in Venice with his friend Rinder, 45, where they spent time with an underground drag collective called House Of Serenissima.
“All these people would gather behind closed doors to dress up as women, have fun, have a wonderful day, clean all their clothes and then go back out onto the streets of Venice and go home,” Rylan explained. ‘It’s behind closed doors because they didn’t feel safe.
Rylan Clark has spoken out about the horrific abuse he suffered while filming his BBC series with Rob Rinder in Venice, Italy.
“I’m quite impulsive and I think, ‘fuck it, let’s laugh’ (but) Rob says, ‘what’s the reason?'” So we go to meet this group, all beautiful and charming.
“Rob finally got it and we dressed up as women, both of us, and walked with the whole group to St. Mark’s Square. Rob was giving Pauline Fowler vibes, that was the look he ended up with.”
“We were walking and one thing that really stood out was someone shouted something in Italian.
“I was a young guy, probably in my 20s, and I turned to one of the drag queens and said, ‘What did he just say?’ And they said, ‘burn the f***ers.’
“Now I’m 20ft tall and wearing a pair of heels, I wanted to go crazy,” Rylan admitted. “I wanted to go after this guy and basically knock him out,” he said bluntly.
However, surprisingly what happened a few moments later turned out to be a ray of hope.
‘So what happened? 200 meters later there was a group of old ladies, probably around 90 years old, and they all stood up and applauded us.
“It was that realization of thinking that we always blame the older generation for everything, that they are backwards in their way of thinking, when in reality it was that generation that was applauding this group for being comfortable with who they are, and yet, it was our generation of people who shouted ‘burn the fuckers’.
The Eurovision presenter, 35, got candid while chatting on Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right podcast and revealed how the audience shouted homophobic comments at him during filming (pictured from the show).
Rylan had been filming Rob And Rylan’s Grand Tour in Venice with his friend Rinder, 45, where they spent time with an underground drag collective called House Of Serenissima.
‘That was a real moment of understanding, not only for us, but for them as well. They realized that the people they thought we would offend or upset are the ones who care about us. It was really beautiful,’ he concluded.
The BBC2 series sees the couple traveling through Italy for their own grand tour, which was a rite of passage for famous young male nobility during the 18th century.
The duo follow in the footsteps of Lord Byron on the 200th anniversary of his death, retracing his journey through Venice, Florence and Rome.
It comes after Rylan recently spoke out about dealing with homophobic abuse online, insisting he has no reason to feel ashamed of who he is.
The TV presenter rose to fame as a contestant on The X Factor in 2012 and credits the show for giving him thick skin.
While she says she would “hate nothing more” than participating in the now-deleted television talent show again, she’s glad it was a stepping stone to the career and life she has today.
He said on The Radio Times Podcast: “You can look at social media and see someone say something that makes you feel like shit for two minutes.”
“But then I sit back and think, ‘I’m rich. I left a council house in Stepney Green.” Do you think I give a damn if Julie038765XYZ on Twitter says I have horse teeth or that I’m too gay?
“If I feel like shit, I just check my bank balance.”
While Rylan, who finished fifth on the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012 and won Celebrity Big Brother the following year, would be cautious about appearing on certain reality shows again, there is one show he would definitely sign up for. for.
Rylan rose to fame as a contestant on The X Factor in 2012 (pictured) and credits the show for giving him thick skin.
He says he would love to do a celebrity version of The Traitors if he was commissioned to do one.
Rylan explained: ‘I would hate nothing more than to be a contestant again. Unless it was about famous traitors. I’d go to town on that.
“Literally every time I see (host) Claudia (Winkleman) I think, ‘Why hasn’t this been done? Fix it or I’ll cut your bangs, honey.”
