Rylan Clark has said he has 'no regrets' about how his marriage ended, despite it leading to a breakdown where he struggled to perform simple tasks like making a cup of tea. The 37-year-old TV and radio presenter was speaking on ITV's The Assembly, a show where celebrities are questioned by a group of autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled people.
Rylan was married to Dan Neal for six years until he confessed to cheating, which ended their marriage in 2021. Asked if honesty is always the best policy, he replied: 'I'm okay admitting when I'm in the wrong... It made me so ill, and it sounds a terrible thing to say, but I'm glad it happened.' He added that he does not think about his ex-husband but misses 'feeling like I've got it all'.
After the breakup, Rylan suffered a breakdown, which he detailed in his 2022 book TEN: The decade that changed my future. He described the experience as having the 'rug pulled from under' him, leaving him unable to get back up. He moved back in with his mother and gradually rebuilt his ability to function, starting with pressing the kettle button and eventually making her a cup of tea again.
Rylan also addressed 'cancel culture', likely referring to former colleagues like Phillip Schofield and Scott Mills. He said: 'If someone's done something wrong, then I understand why they can't carry on... But I do feel today that we live in a world where people will want to go for you and cancel you, for the sake of just doing it, because they can.' He urged viewers not to believe everything they read or hear.
Reflecting on fame, Rylan admitted that while he once craved it, it became 'the one thing I hated the most'. The best aspect, he said, has been buying his mother a new house. The episode of The Assembly airs on Sunday 24 May at 10pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
