Rylan Clark has recalled the time Boris Johnson tried to back out of an interview with him.
The popular presenter, 33, remembers the time the former Prime Minister threatened to pull out of a planned chat with him on This Morning show in his candid new book - revealing the politician's advisors felt Rylan wasn't 'qualified enough' to stand in for Phillip Schofield on the ITV show.
The It Takes Two host also opens up about some of the snobbery he experiences from the public when he takes on serious subjects, such as presenting Channel 4's Alternative Election Night in 2019 - arguing that just because he lacks an Eton education, it doesn't mean he's not qualified to be involved in the world of politics.
In his new book Ten: The Decade That Changed My Life, out now, Rylan opens up about his rise to fame after appearing on The X Factor in 2012, living life in the spotlight and the heartbreaking impact the breakdown of his marriage had on both his physical and mental health.
Alongside the admission he tried to take his own life after he split from husband Dan Neal, and how he recovered from his mental health struggles, the BBC Radio 2 presenter also explores other matters in his new book - including his love of politics and his thoughts on how the country is run.
He admits people 'always scoff' when he talks about politics publicly, with some social media users often asking what does 'a X Factor reject' know, and recalls even experiencing pushback from big political figures - including from a former Prime Minister's aides!
"In 2016 before the EU referendum, for example, I was due to interview Boris Johnson on This Morning," Rylan writes in his new book.
"Then I found out he had threatened to pull out because his advisers heard that I was standing in for Phillip Schofield that day. Apparently they thought I wasn't 'qualified enough' to ask him questions.
He continues: "Obviously, This Morning didn't tell me this, and I'm sure it wasn't Boris who said it it was probably someone on his team, and I did eventually interview him, but how do they know if I'm qualified or not?"
Rylan goes on to admit he loves when people underestimate his abilities and muses how if he did want to pursue a career in politics one day, he'd 'wipe the floor with any frontbencher' and be able to talk the opposition round to his way of thinking.
As a BBC employee, Rylan isn't able to share his political views explicitly or even hint at them in his new book, but he does dedicate an entire chapter to politics in his new book - declaring Prime Minister's Questions 'better than any episode of Love Island '.
In the chapter Rylan for PM, the former Celebrity Big Brother star unveils his dream fantasy cabinet, with him as Prime Minister, and includes pal Claire from Steps as his right-hand woman, Victoria Beckham as Minister for Women and Equalities and Gavin and Stacey actress Joanna Page as he famous character in the role of Secretary of State for Wales.
*Ten: The Decade That Changed My Life by Rylan is out now
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