Rylan Clark admits he suffered behind-the-scenes ‘trauma’ on The X Factor being forced to perform songs that were beyond his ability
Rylan Clark has described the behind-the-scenes ‘trauma’ he suffered while competing on The X Factor.
The presenter originally joined the ITV show in 2012, but has now shared how he felt about being labeled a ‘joke act’.
In the latest episode of his BBC travel series Rob And Rylan’s Grand Tour, Rylan admits he was forced to perform songs he wasn’t comfortable with by the show’s judges.
He says: ‘Every week I was thrown into the lion’s den and did things I didn’t know how to do.
‘It’s like something internal now, when you’ve gone through that experience. Once you’ve been through that and someone says, ‘Go ahead, just do it,’ I say, ‘I can’t do it, I can’t just go and do it.’
Rylan Clark has detailed the behind-the-scenes ‘trauma’ he suffered while competing on The X Factor, as he told how his time on the show made him feel
The presenter joined the ITV show in 2012 and has now told how the ‘joke act’ means he ‘absolutely hates being made’.
”I feel like I worked so hard to get away from that ‘f*****g idiot” I was perceived as, that character who couldn’t sing. That could get someone into a lot of trouble.’
Rylan added that as a result of his time on The X Factor, he now ‘hates being made’.
In the final episode of his travel series, Rob surprises Rylan with the chance to sing at an opera concert, but the host refuses and flees the room, admitting that the experience brought back unpleasant memories of his time on the show.
He later adds: ‘It wasn’t my job on X Factor to be the singer, so I played that role. My job was to be the joke act, the one that everyone talked about and that was on the front page of the newspaper every day.
‘If I have learned anything during this Grand Tour, it is that there is more to it than that.
“I’m not fat, I have more to give than just being that idiot on TV with the shiny teeth.”
In an earlier episode of the series, friends Rob and Rylan got emotional as they opened up about their painful breakups.
While enjoying drinks in Venice, Rylan admitted he ‘tried to end it’ amid the breakdown of his marriage, leaving Rob in tears.
Rylan opened up about his time on The X Factor in the latest episode of his BBC travel series with Robert Rinder
He told Rob: ‘I think it was the culmination of my marriage breaking up and me quitting for the first time in ten years.
‘Then all of a sudden I hit a pretty big speed bump, instead of continuing on I just sank.
‘It was the worst experience of my life. I was just in a downward spiral. I tried to end it, I tried to finish myself.
‘I didn’t eat, I went to the 9th. I’m 6 feet tall Rob, the way I look[ed] horrible.’
Rob then tearfully opened up about his own divorce after splitting from his ex-husband, lawyer Seth Cumming, in 2018.
He said: ‘I had such a crush once in my early twenties but it wasn’t reciprocated. And that never was the case.’
Rylan comforted his co-star as they sought solace in their shared life experiences.
He said, ‘You know what, Rob? We’ve been here once, we’ve been through a lot.’
‘What has it taught us? Nothing is forever unless it’s right,” as Rob wiped away tears.
Rob and Rylan previously sparked romance rumors last week by saying their ‘friendship is growing into love’, but have confirmed they are not a couple.
Speaking to MailOnline at the TV BAFTAs last Sunday, Rob explained that they shared a deep bond and said Rylan was ‘the real deal’.
He said: ‘We are not a couple. It’s what Rylan said: we’re like a very old married couple, we row, we laugh together and we don’t have sex.’