Rylan Clark has recalled a "beautiful" experience he shared with Scott Mills on the airwaves, months after the broadcaster lost his job on BBC Radio 2. Beyond being former colleagues who collaborated on Radio 2 and other BBC programmes including the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals, Rylan Clark and Scott Mills share a close friendship. Rylan also attended Scott's 2024 wedding to his long-term partner, Sam Vaughan.
Rylan's On-Air Recollection
During his BBC Radio 2 programme on Saturday, Rylan recalled visiting the Catalonian town of Sitges in Spain prior to Scott's wedding at the exclusive Xalet Del Nin wedding venue. The on-air conversation arose after a Radio 2 listener messaged to say they were visiting Sitges for the forthcoming Pride celebrations. Rylan replied: "Have a lovely time out there! I've only ever been to Sitges once and that was for Scott and Sam's wedding and oh my God, we just had... I mean, it was the most beautiful wedding ever, but we just had such a lovely time!"
Support on Social Media
Rylan also demonstrated support for Scott and Sam when the latter ended his social media silence following the presenter's dismissal to commemorate their two-year wedding anniversary on Instagram. Sam shared a black and white photograph of the pair from their wedding day and posted, "Two years," accompanied by a red heart emoji. Rylan responded to the upload with several red heart emojis in the comments section.
Surprise Wedding Message
Just before the wedding, Rylan disclosed on air that he had arranged a surprise for Scott, with Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac delivering a special message. Annie said: "Oh my goodness, you're about to get married," as Nick chimed in: "Oh my god, congratulations. It's going to be some party, but do you know what I'm most excited about? It is gonna go off. It is gonna reach new levels?" When a confused Annie asked "what?", Nick explained: "The spray tan. It is gonna reach new levels. I can't wait to see what shade the 'bride' goes." Nick added: "I hope that Scott goes full varnish," as Annie said: "Well you only get married once, hopefully."
Scott Mills' Dismissal
Scott was dismissed from his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show position in March following claims regarding his "personal conduct." It came to light that Scott had been interviewed by the Metropolitan Police in 2018 concerning allegations of "serious sexual offences" against a teenage boy under the age of 16. Officers forwarded the findings of their investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service at the time, who concluded the case lacked sufficient evidence to proceed. The scandal did, however, bring Scott's broadcasting career to an end.
Rylan's Emotional Response
During an appearance on ITV's The Assembly shortly after Scott was dismissed, Rylan became visibly upset when questioned about how he manages when close celebrity friends are "cancelled." Without directly referring to Scott by name, Rylan commented: "At the end of the day, if someone's done something wrong, then I understand why they can't carry on doing what they're doing. But I do feel today that we live in a world where people will wanna go for you and cancel you for the sake of just doing it, because they can." He further cautioned that people ought not to believe everything they hear or read.
Previous Support
Prior to the controversy, when Scott faced a torrent of online criticism and abuse while deputising for Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2, Rylan openly stood up for his friend on social media, writing: "Scott Mills is an amazing radio host and I'm loving hearing him on our @BBCRadio2. He's also one of the good'uns. Lay off." He did, however, playfully voice his "concern" when Scott took over the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, with Rylan ribbing him about the challenge of rising early each morning, saying: "You really need to be on your game for breakfast, because it's that time of the morning... You could be a little bit tired, you could press the wrong button, your finger could slip, you could say the wrong thing, not that I'm trying to scare you."
