Rylan Clark-Neal has vowed to protect his mum Linda from the impact of fame after starring with her on Celebrity Gogglebox.
He is fast becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the country – and she is a firm favourite with fans of the hit Channel 4 telly-watching programme.
Linda also has a cosy catch-up each week on her son’s Rylan on Saturday Radio 2 show.
But he doesn’t want her to experience the same level of fame as he does and insisted: “I never want this life for my mum. Absolutely not!
“People love her but I don’t let her have social media or anything like that, so she’s got no idea of how big it is.
“Growing up, she was just a normal East End mum, who’d shout at you, scream at you, but do everything for you.”
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After appearing on The X Factor in 2012, Rylan’s rise to fame has been unparalleled for a talent show star.
He won CelebrityBig Brother the following year, beating stars including actresses GillianTaylforth and Tricia Penfold and pop singer Claire Richards.
That led to a job presenting spin-off show Bit On The Side. And he has never looked back.
As well as his radio show, Rylan, 31, has presented This Morning, The Xtra Factor, Ready Steady Cook and Supermarket Sweep.
He adores his job and admits he feels fortunate to be doing it, saying, “I’m just a chancer who got lucky.”
But Rylan is definitely not a fan of the changes that comes with it.
He said: “The second you start thinking about what you have done and what you’ve got, that’s when people change.
“I don’t want to change – I’m all right. I’ve got my house and car, my mum’s happy, my family is happy. That’s all I need to know.
“I don’t want to sit there and go, ‘Wow, look at what you’ve done!’
“I know I’ve done a lot and I know I’m a bit of an exception to the rule – but that’s enough for me.
“If I sat there and looked back and thought, ‘How did I do that?’ it would probably send me insane.”
He added: “There have been tough times, of course but I’m not working down the mine, am I? Every job has its ups and downs.”
At the moment busy Rylan is craving a week of anonymity and solitude.
He said: “I never really take a holiday because I’m so busy. But this year I was definitely planning to. And now that’s out the window.
"I would have gone anywhere that I could turn off my phone, take this face of make-up off and be anonymous.
“We might get a week or two in Cornwall later this year. I’d be more than happy.
“I’m in my element when I’m around normal people, because I am one. There’s nothing celebby about me.”
Rylan married former policeman and Big Brother contestant Dan Neal in 2015 and is stepdad to Dan’s son Cameron, 19.
Speaking about his role as a family man, Rylan said: “I met Dan when Cameron was 12 or 13, so for Cameron it’s not something new – it just is what it is.
“It’s like every other family. I’ll have a go at him, he’ll have a go at me, we’ll have a row, then he’ll ask me for 20 quid. It’s just your normal family set-up.”
He added: “Maybe I’ll have kids of my own one day but it’s not something I’m sitting here desperado to do.
“I don’t really plan things. If it was to happen, great! If it doesn’t happen, then so be it.
“But I’ll tell you something: If and when I do decide to have kids – and with due respect to everyone else in the industry – no one will know about it. I like my private life to be private.”
After a lockdown at home in Essex, “cleaning out drawers, getting all those little bits done that I always moan I’ve not got time to do” Rylan has been thrown straight back into filming for Supermarket Sweep.
The show is moving from ITV2 to ITV afternoons in September. He said: “We did 25 shows in eight days. It was really intense.
“We were being quick to get it all finished in case there was a local lockdown. So they were like, ‘Let’s do three shows a day and smash it out.’
“It’s been odd going from not doing anything to doing three shows a day – very, very strange.
“But to get back to what I know has been amazing.”
The crew had to ensure filming was safe for the contestants and staff during the pandemic.
Rylan said: “The contestants were brilliant. The crew were amazing – very Covid secure. It was hard work but a dream.”
This year the Sweep is introducing celebrity contestants, including former Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp and presenter Denise van Outen.
Rylan’s favourites were Joanna Page and Melanie Walters, the actresses who played Stacey and her mum Gwen in hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey.
He said: “They were so excited to be there, they were so funny.
“Every break, they were like, ‘I can’t believe I’m on here.’ You can tell them two get on really well.”
Rylan has always enjoyed TV game shows and in the 1990s he used to love watching Michael Barrymore.
He said: “I grew up watching Strike it Lucky. I used to watch Michael Barrymore. The game was secondary.
"It was more about him getting to know people and having a laugh.
"You can never take away the fact he was a brilliant host.
"Growing up I looked at people like him and thought, ‘If I got to do that job, as much as I’d take the games seriously, it’s the bits afterwards that are fun.
“Some people take their jobs too seriously. We’re not doing brain surgery. We’re just having a laugh.” With daytime telly and radio conquered, Rylan has more plans for the future.
He said: “I’d love to have a chat show – but only when I want it.
“That would be a nice place to end up, sitting on the sofa with guests having a chat.”
- Supermarket Sweep will be on weekdays from September 1, at 3pm on ITV. The Celebrity specials will be broadcast later in the year.