Rylan Clark has said he has “no regrets” about the end of his marriage, despite it leading to a breakdown where he could not even make a cup of tea. The TV and radio presenter, 37, gave an insight into his life on The Assembly, an ITV show where celebrities are quizzed by a group of autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled people.
During the episode, which airs on Sunday, Rylan was asked about his mental health and his marriage to Dan Neal, which ended in 2021 after he confessed to cheating. Asked if honesty is always the best policy, he replied: “I'm okay admitting when I'm in the wrong, because actually I don't deal well with guilt, and I don't deal well with secrets. It made me so ill, and it sounds a terrible thing to say, but I'm glad it happened. I can look back now and know that I don't regret anything.”
Rylan described the breakdown he suffered after the split, saying: “It's like someone went like that and I just fell over and I couldn't get back up, like I broke both my arms and legs.” He moved back in with his mother and slowly rebuilt his ability to perform simple tasks, starting with pressing the kettle button. “On day one, I walked over to the kettle in my mom's house and pressed the button, and then I walked away. That was enough for day one. On day two, I pressed the button on the kettle and watched it boil. On day three, I pressed the button, watched it boil, and then got a cup out the cupboard... and lo and behold, I got to the day where I could make my mum a cup of tea again, and that's when I started getting better.”
Rylan also addressed cancel culture, referring to the recent controversies surrounding figures like Phillip Schofield and Scott Mills. He said: “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 want to go for you and cancel you, for the sake of just doing it, because they can. Don't always believe what you hear or read. Don't be frightened to ask why.”
Reflecting on fame, which he once craved, Rylan admitted: “It became the one thing I hated the most.” However, he said the best thing about it has been buying his mother a new house. The Assembly airs Sunday May 24 at 10pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
