It's hard not to notice when Rylan walks into a room. Not only because he towers over you at 6'4, but his loud laugh and easy charm instantly draws attention. "Now if you don't like me, f*** off!" Rylan laughs as he tells the Mirror about how he's changed the way he deals with situations while also keeping the same values since entering the intense glare of the showbiz spotlight.
It's been 12 years since he stepped onto The X Factor stage with the help of Nicole Scherzinger as he engaged in a love-hate relationship with judge Gary Barlow. Since then he's become a constant on TV, hosting everything from radio shows and Strictly It Takes Two to Big Brother and This Morning . "I think over the years I’ve been very lucky with what I’ve done," he tells us as he takes a break from hosting charity event JustGiving Awards on Wednesday evening.
"If you met me before or after The X Factor you’d think he was the f***ing same person! I could have changed really, really easily with the life I’ve got and the bank account that came with it. My mum would hit me [if I lost myself]. There isn’t no way I couldn’t not be grounded from her.
" There are two celebrities that come to mind for Rylan on who changed the trajectory of his life - Nicole Scherzinger and Katie Price . "Nicole, in a sense, because she was the one that chose me in the beginning. I will always hold her dear to me," he says.
"Actually, I look back at before X Factor where I knew Kate very well and still well obvious.