Rylan Clark has opened up about his new friendship with Judge Rob Rinder, as the pair announce they have a new show in the works after the success of their BBC series

(Image: Getty Images)

Rylan Clark has hinted at future collaborations with Rob Rinder following the success of their BBC programme, ‘Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour’. The 35 year old TV host reflected on the gamble of partnering with 46 year old Rob, which resulted in a blossoming friendship.

Rylan expressed his newfound trust in Rob, saying that although they weren’t friends prior to the show, he now considers Rob “a close friend who I trust”. He attributed their on-screen chemistry to a balance of personalities, describing Rob as “the head” and himself as “the heart”.

While the pair have plans for more joint ventures, they’re keeping specifics quiet for now. Rylan, gearing up for a new individual project, shared with Manchester Evening News: “Rob’s amazing. We weren’t friends before, so it was a bit of a risk, but I’ve left with such a close friend who I trust,” adding, “I want to kill him most nights, but I trust him. The messages I get off him, though.”

He further explained to The Sun’s TV Magazine, “We work well because he’s the head and I’m the heart, we’re like one person. If we get in trouble, he knows how to get out of it, he knows the law. If we get in an argument, I know how to get out of it because I’ll run my mouth.”

Rylan teased, “We’ve always got plans, we’ve got an idea up our sleeve, but all in good time.”, reports the Mirror.

Talking about the impressive viewership of his show, he said: “The other day we found out it was getting over three million viewers an episode, which is ridiculous. I think it’s the biggest BBC Arts show they’ve ever done.”

The dynamic between Rylan and his co-host Rob has notably captured the audience’s attention, with one particularly heartfelt moment during the first episode where Rylan opened up to Rob about his devastating marriage breakdown to Dan Neal in 2021.

As reported by the Express, Rylan shared the profound impact his divorce had on him and admitted that he “tried to end it”.

Rylan Clark said working with Rob Rinder was ‘a risk’ but one that paid off (Image: BBC)
Speaking to Rob, he revealed: “I think it was a culmination of my marriage breaking down and actually me stopping for the first time in 10 years.”

“Then, all of a sudden, I hit quite a big speed bump instead of carrying on, I just sunk. It was the worst experience of my life. I just went on a downward spiral. I tried to end it, I tried to finish myself off. I didn’t eat, I went down to 9st. I’m 6ft 4 Rob, like I looked horrendous.”

Rylan also discussed the effect his personal crisis had on his mother, expressing: “She was a 70-year-old woman and she had to watch her successful son literally disintegrate.”

After his separation from his husband of six years, Rylan took a hiatus from his professional duties to heal and improve his mental wellbeing.