Rylan Clark has opened up about having previously had a 'mental breakdown,' saying during a new interview that he now feels "really good" and has been "growing" as a person.
The presenter, 34, has previously spoken about struggling mentally after the breakdown of his marriage to Dan Neal, 43, whom it was announced he'd separated from in 2021.
He's now further discussed the experience, suggesting it was the first time he got to "breathe" and process his career, having rose to fame on the X Factor in 2012.
Rylan - who has presented shows like This Morning and Big Brother's Bit on the Side - revealed that he began to see it as an opportunity to focus on himself.
He said whilst a guest on the latest episode of the High Performance podcast: "A year ago I had a marriage breakdown, which turned into a mental breakdown for me."
Rylan said it was the first time that his career "slowed down and stopped," saying: "I was the one pressing the emergency stop button. I just stopped and shut down [for 5 months]."
He suggested that for almost a decade he "never [had] time to breathe and understand" his rise to fame, having said on the podcast that he had become "famous overnight".
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He explained to hosts Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes that he tried to take his own during the difficult period. He however stated that he is now "glad" that he is still alive.
And asked how he is doing now, he commented: "Brilliant. Really good. [...] The clouds started to part when I realised that I hadn't lost something I thought I had.
"I turned a situation that I thought was an awful situation into an opportunity. I was 34 and I realised that when something's not right, it's not right. It wasn't right."
He said that's when "things started changing," recalling that he began to look at things as opportunities and as a chance to figure out what he wanted for himself moving forward.
Rylan commented: "I started looking at different things as opportunities, to sit there and go 'maybe this is my time now to find out what I actually want, what I need, who I am'."
It was suggested by host Jake that the experience had given Rylan an opportunity to grow as a person, outside of his career. He agreed, responding: "I'm definitely growing."
Later in the episode, he commented: "I'm having a relationship with myself at the moment that I've never had. And maybe I need to do that for me".
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch.
