Rylan Clark's mum feared her son had had a stroke after his marriage broke down. The BBC Radio 2 host spent months away from work and out of the limelight after his relationship with Dan Neal came to an end last year.
Rylan and Dan, who met via Big Brother, had been married for six years. Earlier this year, fans of the TV star saw him open up about his struggles in that period, admitting for the first time in his life he felt 'alone'. Speaking to The Observer in January, Rylan explained: "I’d got to the point where I didn’t know if I wanted to come back.
"Or whether I would be able to do this job again. I’d got… quite ill. I went down to just over 9st and I’m 6ft 4in. It got bad. Like, very bad. And I didn’t think it would get better. I needed help… Everyone feels like I’m their mate. I was probably talking to five million people a night.
"But last summer for the first time, I literally felt alone." He added: "I didn’t think I’d be here. I didn’t think I could continue. When asked if he meant continue with work or life itself, he admitted: "Both. I didn’t think I’d actually come back. I was very… gone."
The former reality star turned host then revealed he was admitted into hospital "for safety reasons" because he no longer knew himself. But Rylan has since got his life back on track, returning to work and undergoing a major body transformation. At the start of the year he shared before and after photos showcasing his brand new physique after overhauling his physical and mental wellbeing.
But Rylan has now shared how his mum Linda, who is a hit among his fans having appeared alongside him on Celebrity Gogglebox and his BBC Radio 2 show, was concerned. The 33-year-old told the Happy Place podcast: “My body did completely shut down. I wouldn't eat. I went through a stage where I couldn't even talk, which for some people might be quite handy.
“My speech was just slurred. My mum thought I was having a stroke. My body just went. I went down to 9st and I am six-foot-four." As his marriage came to an abrupt end, Rylan pulled out of work events. He said: "Two days before I was due to do Eurovision, everyone knew when I wasn't at Eurovision something was wrong."
He also shared how he questioned whether he made the right decision to pull out of his working commitments. "If I had done it, I may not have gone on such a quick decline. And when I say quick decline, it felt like minutes. I felt like I'd had the jab and I was shutting down."
But he went on to add: "It was hard but on reflection, yes, I needed to stop. Maybe it was an amalgamation of 10 years. I didn't stop since the day I went on The X Factor. Nothing stopped. I don't regret stopping. I do feel if I try to carry on, maybe I could have dealt with things better from a personal point of view. I don't regret that I stopped."
Rylan has since been busy and will return to hosting Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two this month. He is also preparing for the release of his second book, Ten, which reflects on his decade in the industry. And the presenter appears to have teased another role.
The 33-year-old took to Instagram and shared a picture of himself in overalls and a pink hi-vis jacket. "So today was different…Coming soon #DIYSOS @bbccin," he captioned the image which also saw him carrying a tool box. While it has not been officially confirmed when Rylan will make an appearance on the home makeover show, the programme's special Children In Need episode is set to air on November 18.
And fans appeared excited and were quick to compliment the star. @limonelemons said: "Bob the builder never looked so good!" @hutchinson8965dannybrad commented: "Looking gorgeous." @charliex21x wrote: "Ooooooh I like the look of this." @katehorne2811 added: "Anything you do is ….. FABULOUS."
READ NEXT:
- Emotional David Beckham wipes tears away as he pays respects to Queen after 12 hour queue
- ITV Love Island's Davide Sanclimenti takes bite out of Ekin-Su Culculoglu as she's left stunned by lookalike cake
- ITV Coronation Street's Tina O'Brien 'hasn't aged' as she reminisces over award win at 17 year after joining soap as Sarah Platt
- Stacey Solomon trying to 'keep head above water' as she breaks social media silence following viral royal family clip
- Gemma Atkinson told she 'hasn't changed' as she dives back into the Hollyoaks archives with throwback snaps
