Rylan Clark: who is TV host, how tall is he, does he have a husband, who is his mum, when was he on X Factor?

Rylan is a regular face on television, appearing on our screens for over a decade now – he’s perhaps best known as an X Factor finalist and a Big Brother winner, but in the years since his reality TV competition days he’s held a number of broadcasting, hosting, and presenting jobs.

Still, despite how familiar you might think you are with him, there’s probably details about his life that you’re still wondering about – like, for example, how old he is, or how he picked the name Rylan, or what his favourite colour is.

Here’s everything you’d like to know about Rylan.

Who is Rylan?

Rylan is well-known television presenter who has hosted programmes for the BBC, ITV, and Channel 5. He’s a regular fixture on panel shows like Would I Lie To You? and Taskmaster, and he’s presented series like Supermarket Sweep and Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.

He’s still best known, though, for the reality television appearances that first catapulted him to fame – namely, his time on The X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother.

How old is Rylan?

Rylan was born on 25 October 1988, meaning at time of writing he’s just about to turn 34.

Why is he called Rylan?

Rylan is a stage name first adopted by Ross Richard Clark during his modelling career, prior to his time on The X Factor.

Clark has explained that he chose the name Rylan essentially by chance, opening a baby name book on a random page while stood in WH Smith.

How tall is Rylan?

Rylan is 6 foot 4 inches. As is demonstrated by this helpful graph, that puts him as shorter than a T-Rex but taller than Tall Girl, the star of the Netflix movie Tall Girl.

Rylan is slightly shorter than Richard Osman (6ft 7in), meaning he’s not the tallest tall television presenter whose name begins with R. Just in case you were wondering!

What’s Rylan’s favourite colour?

It’s black. (Or purple. It wasn’t entirely clear online.)

Does Rylan have a husband?

Rylan was previously married to Dan Neal, a Big Brother contestant in 2013. At this time, Clark was hosting the companion show Big Brother: Bit on the Side, which is how he and Neal met.

Rylan and Neal got engaged in September 2014, and were married a little over a year later in November 2015.

In June 2021, Rylan announced that the pair had separated after six years of marriage.

Who is Rylan’s mum?

Rylan’s mother is Linda Clark. She’s appeared on television alongside him on a few occasions, most recently on an edition of Celebrity Gogglebox.

When was Rylan on The X Factor?

Rylan appeared on the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. His initial audition saw him receive three yeses, but a no from head judge Gary Barlow – there was some Rylan/Barlow rivalry all the way through to the end of his time on the show.

Rylan left The X Factor at the quarter finals, ultimately placing fifth in that series of The X Factor. He continued his association with the show, however, going on to host the companion show The Xtra Factor.

Even before competing on The X Factor, Rylan had made some television appearances: he had a small part in the 2010 BBC One series John Bishop’s Britain, and in 2011 appeared on the Sky modelling show Signed by Katie Price.

He went on to appear on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013, going on to win the eleventh series of the show.