Rylan Clark's love life U-turn after dating struggles and 'traumatic' marriage breakdown

Last week, Rylan Clark said he is "happy" and "content" with a new partner he has been "seeing" in secret for several months. During the latest edition of his BBC Radio 2 show, the 36-year-old gushed over his new lover, who has also had the seal of approval from his co-stars.

Recently speaking on his How To Be In Love podcast, he also confirmed that he'd love to start a family with his mystery man. Rylan confirmed his new love life status after overcoming a troubled time in his personal life.

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And with the former X-Factor star hosting the ITV show all this week, we take a look at his past candid admissions about his love life.

Dating struggles and rumours

Before meeting his new partner, the This Morning star said he found dating a struggle, particularly due to his fame. Speaking to Bella Magazine, he said: "I find it a lot more difficult because of my job. It can be tricky to know what someone wants from me.

"But what am I going to do, die alone with cats? I'm allergic to cats! You've got to put yourself out there." Back in 2022, Rylan denied he was dating Declan Doyle after they were pictured kissing.

Following this captured moment, he revealed he was single and had joined the celebrity dating app Raya, in the hope of having "fun" and taking things slow with somebody of interest.

In his BBC travel documentary Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour that followed, he shared that he’d been on two dates over the previous two years, but admitted nothing evolved due to different reasons.

Reports have also previously indicated that he and his co-star Rob Rinder could be more than friends, though he recently denied this.

Speaking on his BBC show, he clarified last week: "There's all these fake news stories about me and Rob Rinder - we've gotten married and all of this. Rob's my friend. I adore him."

Marriage and divorce

Rylan's last known relationship was with his now ex-husband Dan Neal, who he was married to for seven years. The pair, who have previously fronted This Morning together, divorced in 2021 after the presenter confessed to infidelity.

In his 2022 memoir Ten: The Decade That Changed My Future, Rylan said he had been unfaithful years before confessing to his mistake, not anticipating that Dan would leave him.

"I have no excuses for what I did way back then, but I had my reasons. I think for many years I had felt a bit like an imposter," he penned. "That nothing I was doing was right or not quite good enough.

"There were times when people told me this, and so confirmed my own self-doubts. And you know, when it's those closest to you giving you this feedback, of course you take it to heart."

After confessing to being unfaithful, Rylan said Dan told him "it was over" and left. "You're not surprised? I get that. But I couldn't believe it," he wrote.

Career hiatus and health downturn

Rylan took four months off work following the breakdown of his marriage, after his body "completely shut down". The presenter said he spent a period of this time in hospital as he tried to take his own life on two occasions.

“I wouldn't eat. I went through a stage where I couldn't even talk, which for some people might be quite handy," he said on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast. "My speech was just slurred. My mum thought I was having a stroke."

Reflecting on this tough period of time in an interview with The Sunday Times, Rylan added: “It feels like a different person now, that I’m talking about.

"I did not know who I was for that five months, but yeah, I did [try to end my life] – unsuccessfully, luckily. I genuinely felt like the world was against me."

Addressing heart problems he also experienced at the time, he added: "I went into this thing called SCT [Supraventricular tachycardia], where my heart rate was way over double. And it just wouldn’t stop.”

Struggles with fame

While Rylan experienced a health downturn following his marriage split, the presenter believes his packed schedule also didn't help. Previously speaking on the High Performance podcast, he said: “I think my marriage ending was the catalyst for the machine stopping.

“But actually, it was nine years of never stopping and never having time to breathe and actually understand what happened to me. For five months I just stopped and shut down. I tried to take my own life. I tried to do it twice.”

Rylan rose to fame on the X Factor in 2012 and has since thrived in the world of showbiz.

Just some of his work includes presenting on This Morning, Big Brother, and Dating Naked UK.

Rylan said he doesn't believe he'd have his career or then husband if it wasn't for his work on Big Brother. The presenter secured a job as a host on the show, following a stint as a contestant on the Celebrity version.

"It gave me a career. It then gave me my husband and gave me the life I have now," he told iNews. "Without Big Brother, I don't think any of this would have happened. It was the best apprenticeship I could have asked for."

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.