Rylan Clark reveals his body ‘shut down’ and he ‘couldn’t even talk’ amid divorce from ex Dan Neal

Rylan Clark has revealed that his body has been ‘locked off’ and that his mother Linda was convinced he suffered a stroke during his breakdown last year.

The 33-year-old presenter admitted he couldn’t even speak and had “slurred” speech while taking time out of the spotlight amid his divorce from ex-husband Dan Neal.

He previously claimed to have fallen to just nine stones, leading to him being hospitalized for “security reasons” after refusing food.

Now, appearing on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, the TV personality said, “My body has completely stopped. I wouldn’t eat. I went through a phase where I couldn’t even speak, which could be quite helpful for some people.

“My speech was just slurred. My mother thought I was having a stroke. My body just went. I went to the 9th and I’m six feet tall.’

He is an avid Eurovision fan and has been a semi-final commentator since 2018, but his notable absence from the 2021 match raised red flags among friends.

Rylan continued: ‘Two days before I would go to the Eurovision Song Contest, everyone knew that something was wrong if I was not at the Eurovision Song Contest.

“If I had done it, I might not have lost weight so quickly. And when I say quick drop, it felt like minutes. I felt like I’d had the shot and that I stopped.’

The former Celebrity Big Brother roommate, who claims he hadn’t stopped working since his 2012 stint on The X Factor, confessed that he needed a break.

He said: ‘It was difficult, but on reflection, yes, I had to stop. Maybe it was a 10 year amalgamation. I haven’t stopped since the day I went to The X Factor.

‘Nothing stopped. I don’t regret stopping. I feel like if I try to keep going, maybe I could have handled things better personally. I don’t regret quitting.’

After enjoying a solo trip to Spain last week, Rylan said: ‘Doing what I did with Barcelona last week is a stop for me. That’s how I’ll arrange it in the future.

“If I feel I need a stop, then stop, but make a pleasant stop with yourself. And don’t be afraid of your own company.

‘I’ve never been alone in all my life. I would always live with my mother. Then I moved on to The X Factor. Then I met my ex-partner and we immediately moved in together.

‘I had never lived on my own, I was 32. I was so scared. That’s what I was afraid of, being alone. I was afraid no one was there.’

Earlier this year, Rylan revealed that he “didn’t know if he could live” after the breakdown of his marriage, which left him a step away from the limelight.

The TV personality shocked his fans when he temporarily stopped hosting BBC Radio 2 but has now confessed that he was hospitalized for ‘security reasons’ after refusing food.

He admitted that he was “a danger to himself” and “did not think he would get better” when things were at their worst, nor that he “would be here today”.

At a time when drones flew over his house and the concerns of his adoring supporters grew, Rylan revealed he couldn’t have felt more lonely.

He told The Observer: ‘It’s really weird to talk about this because I haven’t even talked about it with my friends. I just never thought I’d get this sick.’

“I went to a little over 9 and I’m 6’1. It got bad. Like, very bad. And I didn’t think it would get any better. I needed help.’

The former X Factor contestant confessed that he “didn’t know himself on certain points” and “had thoughts and did things that made him twist.”

He continued, “I didn’t think I’d be here. I didn’t think I could go on [to work or to live]. I didn’t think I would actually come back. I was very… gone.’

Rylan admitted in a recent interview with The sun that he became “dangerously thin” and “mentally unwell” after his divorce from husband Dan Neal last year.

The television presenter and former police officer Dan announced in June last year that they were separating after six years of being together.

And while Rylan admits life was ‘s**t’ after the breakup, he’s since recovered, focusing on his health and diet while brushing up at the gym, hitting four bricks.

He said: ‘I got sick and I lost weight, I dropped to under 10 kilos – and I’m six feet, so that’s not good.

“The honest truth is it’s been s**t.”

Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan took a break from work commitments this summer in an effort to fend for himself, calling his mother Linda a “lifesaver” at the time.

The media personality said his family was “very concerned” about him after he “disappeared” for four months this year, taking a break from public life and remaining silent on social media.

“One of the biggest things I’ve regretted this year is putting my mother through my illness,” he said. “I had to go back to me.”

If you have been affected by anything in this article and need help, please call the Samaritans at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.