Rylan Clark has revealed the ‘honest truth’ behind his famous X Factor audition, and it’s not what we were expecting.
The national treasure, 35, shot to fame on the talent competition back in 2012, finishing in fifth place, but he’s now admitted he had no intentions of doing so.
Rylan’s since gone on to make quite the name for himself, appearing on the likes of Celebrity Big Brother, which he won in 2012, presenting Big Brother’s Bit on the Side and The Xtra Factor, as well as Strictly’s It Takes Two and This Morning.
He’s elsewhere made appearances on Celebrity Gogglebox with his mum Linda, and hosted a BBC Radio 2 show.
But none of it would have happened if it hadn’t have been for ‘Patsy the Peugeot’, with Rylan revealing that he never intended to find fame, but only entered The X Factor because his car broke down.
He said: ‘I never intended what happened for me, to happen. I’ll tell you the Gods honest truth, the reason I went on X Factor was my car just broke down, right? Patsy the Peugeot, long may she rest.
‘I thought, if I could go on that show, last one week of live shows, get a couple of gigs in some gay clubs, earn about 20 grand, I’ll be able to get a new Patsy, buy my mum a new front door, and might be able to start renting somewhere on my own as I was still living with my mum at the time.’
Rylan went on to The Mirror: ‘Well I’ve built three houses and now I drive a Range Rover so f**k them, I’ve done alright!
‘I don’t know tomorrow, but if it all flies away, I’ve got them two houses. That is
the worst case scenario – living with my mum again.’
Rylan has previously reflected on his journey to stardom, saying he knew he was ‘the joke’ at the start of his career.
He previously told the i: ‘I was the joke, but I knew I was the joke.
‘Listen, I’m not claiming to be f***ing Celine Dion or Mariah, but I can sing. But I weren’t supposed to sing on The X Factor. There is a box for every single person on there, and I ticked the “gay stereotype joke” box.
‘I could either stand there and sing and hope to get through, along with a million other auditionees, or I could play the game and put on a feather boa and a light-up outfit and have an argument with Gary Barlow.’
He added: ‘‘The council estate boy is always going to be there. I’ve not changed. My world changed. My teeth changed, my voice changed, but I never changed. Now people are just realising, “He is quite switched on! He does know what he’s doing!” I knew it years ago, but it was hidden with long blonde extensions and a feather boa.’
After ten years in the industry, Rylan released his tell-all memoir, which was announced after he split from his husband in 2021 after six years of marriage.
He opened up about the toll it took on him and how he suffered two heart failures and was hospitalised following the breakdown of his relationship.
As well as the lows of his personal life, Rylan also reflected on the highs of his career over the ten years, telling his fans at the time: ‘We all know I should have lasted ten minutes, so how I’ve lasted ten years, I’ll never know.’
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