Rylan Clark has given a rare insight into the relationship he had with his father and why he has ‘no desire’ to meet his secret family.
Although Celebrity Gogglebox viewers know Rylan’s mother Linda, the 34-year-old presenter rarely speaks about his father.
The BBC Radio 2 DJ was raised in Stepney by his mother and grandmother and never really knew his father, who had a secret family – unbeknownst to Linda.
“I was very curious about him growing up, it turns out he had a family that my mother didn’t know about when she got pregnant,” Rylan said. The Telegraph.
“He had two other kids, then that was discovered, whatever. But growing up, it wasn’t really something I talked to my mom about because I never wanted her to get upset.”
Candid: Rylan Clark has given rare insight into the relationship he had with his late father – and the last time he ever saw him
Hecht: The BBC Radio 2 DJ was raised in Stepney by his mother and Celebrity Gogglebox star Linda (pictured), but he never really knew his father
Growing up, Rylan said his dad would drop by here and there, but the star can remember the last time he saw him, which also happened to be the day he decided to finally hit back at the bullies at school.
Rylan, whose real name is Ross Clark, was a 15-year-old redhead teenager who was coming to terms with his sexuality and was an easy target for bullies at school.
‘I was the red gay child, what do you expect? I was fucking king and asked for it,” he explained.
But one day he decided he had had enough and took revenge, knocking out one of his offenders.
He reminisced about the day and said his mother was so happy she took him to the deli in Hornchurch to celebrate, and that was where he saw his father.
“As we walked to the deli, remembering that I hadn’t seen him in ten years at that point, I just looked and saw this guy and said, ‘Mom, that’s Dad.’ And she said, “Oh yeah, it’s – are you okay?” They were talking, and he just said, “Oh, my boy…” And I said, “Hi.” And he went.’
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It is not the first time that Rylan has opened up about his father after he spoke about his family situation with Louis Theroux on his podcast Grounded in 2020.
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Fame: Growing up, Rylan always longed to be famous, but he has compared the Rylan we see as a construct (pictured on This Morning in 2019 with colleague Ruth Langsford)
Rylan said he thought his father had since passed away, but there was no contact at the deli after that day.
The star also confirmed with Louis that he doesn’t think he would ever build a relationship with his half-siblings, compared to Jeremy Paxman showing up on your doorstep and insisting he is your brother or father.
“Even if they don’t know me personally, they do know me… and I just think that would be a little too strange.”
The star also confessed that he doesn’t like to talk about it with his mother Linda, who he is incredibly close to, because he doesn’t want to upset her.
Growing up, Rylan always longed to be famous, but he has compared the Rylan we see as a construct.
He quickly realized on X Factor, around the time the clip of him breaking down into uncontrollable sobs with Nicole Scherzinger, appeared that he was the laugh of the series and decided to capitalize on that.
Describing it as a Rylan facade, he explained that when he’s at home, he doesn’t have a full face of makeup in his black skinny jeans: “We all have a work outfit, a uniform; my uniform is the face.’
‘We all have a work outfit, a uniform; my uniform is the face’: Rylan discussed how the gelled back hair and foundation are just his way of putting on his work persona
Tough times: It’s been a traumatic few years for the presenter after he and husband Dan Neal split after six years of marriage (pictured together in 2017)
And while his career went from strength to strength, Rylan had to deal with the breakdown of his six-year marriage to Dan Neal.
After the split, Rylan disappeared from the spotlight for four months and has since opened up about suffering a nervous breakdown that left him hospitalized.
Reflecting on the traumatic time, the presenter confirmed that he is now in a very happy place, saying that since the end of his marriage, ‘every day has been a confirmation for me that this was the right thing’.