The popular TV presenter, who is currently going through a divorce from his former policeman hubby of six years Dan Neal, vowed to get healthy after taking four months off work in the summer.
He said: “I got ill and I lost weight, I went down to under ten stone — and I’m six feet four inches, so that’s not good.
“The honest truth is that it’s been s**t.
“I didn’t deal with what happened and now I am. I felt unwell and it was a very difficult time for me.”
Rylan spent a lot of time with his mother Linda, who he describes as his rock.
He said: “My mum was majorly worried about me, as were all my family.
“I don’t just disappear for four months — that doesn’t just happen.
“Mum has been a lifesaver to me and one of my biggest regrets of this year was putting my mum through me not being well.
“I needed to get back to me.”
Rylan returned to work on Strictly: It Takes Two in the autumn and decided he wanted to get healthy.
He signed up to The Six Pack Revolution programme, a 75-day plan guided with personal training sessions by body transformation guru Scott Harrison.
Rylan said: “When I started feeling more myself I wanted to feel more confident in my body.
“My brother recommended Scott and we became best friends. It’s been amazing. This isn’t the end goal — it’s just phase one.
“Getting fit and looking after my body has saved me. Fitness has given me a goal.”
Scott trained Rylan in the TV star’s home gym and drew up an eating plan, which involved seven to nine healthy small meals and snacks a day plus cutting down on booze.
Rylan said: “It’s done more for my mental health than it has for my body, which is a crazy thing to say because you can physically see the body change.
My mum was majorly worried about me, as were all my family. Mum has been a lifesaver to me.Rylan Clark
“For my head, it was the best distraction, and at the same time it was a way to release a lot of emotion and focus on something other than what’s going on around me.
“It’s like hitting a reset button in your head. I’ve never had that before.
“I’ve decided to look after myself for a change instead of worrying about everybody else.
“Last year I properly lost myself. I wanted to get me back and make a better version.”
Rylan admits that he struggled with the change in diet at first. He said: “I was trying to put weight on. I’d lost so much.
“The hardest thing I found was the eating. I had to eat nine times a day — it was mostly protein. It was the most difficult thing, but you do it and when you do it you get that result.
“I enjoyed the exercise, it majorly became a therapy.
“I’ve always had the home gym but I just wasn’t using it, so it was nice to put it to use for a change — I discovered I’ve got some decent equipment.
“Now I’m just over 14 stone — it’s not belly, it’s muscle. I want to be double this size by the summer.
“It’s not just about how you look but also how you feel. It’s nice to have that hour of exercise where you can concentrate on yourself.
Now I’m just over 14 stone. It’s not belly, it’s muscle. I want to be double this size by the summer.Rylan Clark
“It gave me a reason to get up. When Scott was banging on my door at half seven in the morning, you can’t stay in bed.
“I mostly cut alcohol out of my diet — it needed to disappear. I won’t lie, it’s not been the easiest time for me — so there was the odd evening where I would fall off the wagon and have a glass of wine.”
Even Rylan is shocked by how effective the results are.
He said: “I was so body conscious before, I wouldn’t even take my top off on a beach.
“Clothes are fitting me differently now — I can’t believe it. I’m not the sort of person to do a topless shoot, but I wanted to shout about Scott’s programme as he has helped me so much.”
Rylan can’t wait to embrace work this year, adding: “I’m going to open my arms out wide and grab opportunities with both hands.
“I’m happy 2021 is over and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.
“As one of my best friends says to me, ‘2022 is for you’.”
- For details about Scott’s programme, visit thesixpackrevolution.com.
How I taught him to feed his mind as well as body
RYLAN’S personal trainer Scott Harrison said: “He and I became great mates during the training.
“The main change we did was constantly feeding Rylan’s body the right sort of food.
“He got very full up at first but he did really well to keep going.
“I went round and trained him myself to push with the weight training so I could take him past where he thought he was capable of going. It’s all about balance, trying to encourage him to eat protein, carbs and healthy fats.
“He was ready for a change. What the regime does for your mind far outweighs what it does for your body.
“I’ve also got a great success rate for chronic illnesses. A lot of illnesses and anxieties are there because we’re not feeding ourselves properly. That’s why eating right will do wonders for your mind.”