Rylan Clark has marked his X Factor anniversary with an inspirational message on social media.
Rylan first rose to fame as a contestant on the reality talent show back in 2012, eventually finishing in fifth place.
The star has now marked 12 years since his elimination, writing on Instagram: "12 years ago today I left The X Factor as a quarter finalist."
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While he didn't walk away with the title, Rylan has since become a staple on British TV, securing presenting gigs on everything from This Morning to game shows and, of course, Big Brother's Bit on the Side. He's also become a fan-favourite on Celebrity Gogglebox with his mum Linda.
Giving a nod to his successful career since leaving The X Factor, Rylan added in the caption of his post: "Still going. Cheers everyone, appreciate it x ."
Rylan's celebrity friends were quick to show their support in the post's comment section, with his former This Morning co-star Ruth Langsford writing: "Of COURSE you are!!"
"Amazing!" said Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, while Rylan's X Factor rival Josh Cuthbert, who was in the band Union J, added: "12 years since we beat you in the sing off * 😂 god I remember how painful that was! Didn’t want you to leave the show! You’ve smashed it man. Love ya! X"
Related: Rylan responds to fan concern over voice change
Rylan's latest presenting job was Paramount+'s new dating show Dating Naked UK, which sees a group of singletons bare all in a tropical paradise location in the hopes of finding love.
"The best way to describe this show is Love Island without the bikinis," he told Digital Spy ahead of the show's release in August.
"There’s that initial shock factor of all of our contestants are fully naked. There’s no camera shots that are a little bit tricky with a plant pot in the way, there’s no blurring. It is fully uncensored.
"But what’s crazy about the show itself is that after the first 5 to 10 minutes, you sort of start to see past that."
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
