Rylan Clark

Ross Richard Clark, born 25 October 1988 and known professionally as Rylan Clark, is an English television and radio presenter and personality. He first rose to national prominence in 2012 as a contestant on the ninth series of the talent show The X Factor, where he advanced to the quarter-finals. The following year, he won the eleventh series of the reality show Celebrity Big Brother.

Clark was born in the Stepney area of London to his mother, Linda Clark. He attended a Catholic primary school, served as an altar server, and lived in a council house in Stepney Green with his mother, older brother Jamie, and grandmother Rose until the age of 11. After his family relocated to Essex, he was educated at The Coopers' Company and Coborn School in Upminster.

Before his broadcast career, Clark auditioned for S Club Juniors in 2001 and began part-time modelling at age 16. During his modelling work, he adopted the stage name Rylan, selecting it from a baby name book at a branch of WHSmith. He later performed in Take That and Westlife tribute bands in Ibiza and was a member of the Spanish boy band 4bidden until 2010. That same year, he appeared in four episodes of John Bishop's Britain and was a finalist on the modelling series Signed by Katie Price.

In May 2012, Clark auditioned for The X Factor and reached the live shows as part of Nicole Scherzinger's category, ultimately finishing in the quarter-finals. In January 2013, he entered the Big Brother House for Celebrity Big Brother and was announced as the winner during the live final. Following his victory, he began hosting Channel 5's Big Brother's Bit on the Side, a role he held from 2013 to 2018, and presented his own talk show, Up Late with Rylan, in 2016.

On ITV, Clark joined This Morning as a segment and relief presenter, co-hosted The Xtra Factor Live in 2016, and presented the game show Babushka in 2017. He later hosted a revived version of Supermarket Sweep from 2019 to 2020 and the series You Are What You Wear in 2020.

Beginning in 2018, Clark expanded his work with the BBC, becoming a semi-final co-commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest and taking over a weekly BBC Radio 2 show, later named Rylan on Saturday, in 2019. He co-hosted Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two from 2019 to 2023, presented a revival of Ready Steady Cook, guest-hosted The One Show, and created the BBC Radio 4 podcast How to Be a Man.

Clark's additional projects include his 2016 autobiography, The Life of Rylan, which reached number one on The Sunday Times Bestsellers List, an appearance in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, and hosting travel shows such as Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour in 2024 and Rob and Rylan's Passage to India in 2025. He married Dan Neal in 2015, from whom he separated in 2021. He resides in Brentwood, Essex, and is a supporter of West Ham United FC.