TV presenter Rylan Clark, who comes from Stanford-le-Hope, has opened up about the emotional aftermath of his divorce to now ex-husband Dan Neal as “it was like I’d had a stroke.”

The 34-year-old announced the end of his marriage after six years back in 2021 and took time off work to deal with personal circumstances.

Rylan found fame on The X Factor in 2012 and has since gone on to present the likes of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.

He has also appeared alongside his mum Linda on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox as the comical duo has provided joy to the nation across a number of series.

Rylan Clark ‘couldn’t speak’ following his divorce from Dan Neal

But now Rylan has spoken about his struggles after the divorce on the podcast ‘On The Mend’ with host and Busted musician Matt Willis.

The former BBC Radio 2 DJ explained he could not dress, sleep, eat or speak following his split.

He revealed: “My marriage ended and I didn’t know it would end and I felt like everything was my fault and I felt like, right, but this is salvageable, I can sort this out…

“I’m the fixer, that’s what I always do, and all of a sudden I couldn’t fix something and it’s confusing me because I was like, but that’s not right.”

Echo: Do you remember Rylan Clark's time on ITV's The X Factor?Do you remember Rylan Clark's time on ITV's The X Factor? (Image: PA)

He went on: “I can’t remember what made me disappear, basically, from the person I knew, but the next thing I knew, I could not see, hear, eat, breathe, sleep, I couldn’t do anything.”

Rylan mentioned he lost weight and said that he could not string a sentence together.

He added: “It was like I’d had a stroke and my mum thought I was having a stroke…

“I just got into this dark hole where I thought I was crazy because nothing was making sense to me and partly that was because of upset and heartbreak, but at the same time, the situation, with what I was being told, I thought I was going mad, I thought I was making things up.”

Rylan, who was part of the Eurovision 2023 presenting team, said although he is “so strong” he was also “so broken.”

As he continued to say: “To the point where I physically couldn’t dress, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t do none of these things.

“I tried to end it a few times, unsuccessfully, gratefully now, but I just remember going to sleep at night, after doing nothing all day, living at my mum’s, frightened to leave the house, didn’t want anyone to see me.”

Reflecting on the situation, Rylan said that he can look back now and be grateful for what he went through.

He told Matt: “I would never let myself get like that again.”

Posting on his Instagram account alongside a video clip about the podcast episode, Matt wrote in the caption: "I’m really grateful to Rylan for opening up on the highs and lows of fame, loneliness, going through that incredibly difficult time.. and how he has come through the other side."

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