Rylan Clark has revealed that he left his team 'panicking' after making a spontaneous decision to fly to Barcelona alone following his divorce from Dan Neal. The BBC Children in Need presenter said he switched off his phone and adopted a fake identity while introducing himself to strangers in the Spanish city.
Spontaneous trip to Barcelona
Speaking on Alan Carr's Life's A Beach Podcast, Rylan recalled telling his team, "Right, guys, I'm going away for 3 days." He said they reacted with alarm, telling him, "No, absolutely not. Not going anywhere on your own." He added, "I said, 'I'm going', just turned the phone off and went."
The trip came after Rylan suffered a breakdown in 2021 when his six-year marriage to Dan ended, which led to him taking months off from his TV and radio commitments while he focused on his mental health.
Fake identity as 'Josh'
Rylan explained that during his stay in Barcelona, he started speaking to a man in his hotel who was Canadian or American. When asked his name, Rylan said, "I went, 'Josh.' I just lied." He also claimed to be a family lawyer, saying, "Obviously I was going through my divorce. I was like, 'I'm a family lawyer.'"
He met up with the man and his friends over the next two nights, and they called him Josh. Rylan said, "It's been so nice not being Rylan."
Caught out by hen party
On the last night, Rylan bumped into a group of girls from the UK who were in Barcelona for a hen do and recognised him instantly. He recalled, "All the new friends are in front of me calling me Josh and I just go... and they're like, 'are they, Josh, are they shouting at you?'"
Rylan said his new friends "did find it funny in the end, and they understood why I lied." Following his divorce, Rylan is now in a relationship with Kennedy Bates, whom he started dating last year. Children in Need airs from 7pm on Friday November 13 on BBC One and iPlayer.
