Up Next
TV personality Rylan Clark is getting up close and personal for his new series, Dating Naked UK, which does exactly what it says on the tin – with one exception.
‘In the show, you’re notably clothed…’ I point out to a grinning Rylan, 35, who casually replies: ‘I am, sadly. I tried but they won’t let me get it out.’ It’s the first, but not last time Rylan commiserates about his over-dressed appearance.
‘I mean, if we get season two, I’ve offered to host it naked. They’re still saying no,’ he later quips.
Instead, Rylan rocks up to this new dating reality series – which he described as ‘Love Island without the bikinis and me playing Cupid’ – in a steady stream of immaculately tailored outfits.
Made all the more bold by the fact that all the contestants he is sharing a screen with are head-to-toe nude – a feat he didn’t realise was even possible for UK television until recently.
‘[Paramount Plus] told me the idea and I laughed because I was like, “Well we can’t do that what are you going on about?”,’ the former host of Big Brother’s Bit on the Side recalled to Metro.co.uk.
The new series features ’10 singles seeking romance while living au naturel in a tropical setting.’ And in a classic reality TV twist, ‘contestants face challenges as new arrivals join, potentially disrupting existing relationships’.
Delighted by the idea, Rylan was soon introduced to the German version of the show, which similarly sees hopeful singles travel to a sunny locale with the hopes of finding true love that isn’t just skin deep.
‘Ten minutes in my eyes were bulging out of my head. I was like “What?”. You see everything. There’s no blurring, there’s no strategic camera angles with a plant pot or anything like that,’ he recalls.
After the initial shock of seeing everyone’s most intimate bits wore off, however, the appeal of the provocative format immediately clicked.
Before Rylan knew it, he was jetting off to Colombia for a dreamy four-week shoot – and he already has his defence ready for the naysayers and prudes among the public.
‘I know there’ll be a lot of people out there going, “Oh, are you joking? They’re all naked? Like a naked Love Island?”
‘[But] there’s a real great reason and a thread that runs throughout the whole series. Them being naked is 99% of the reason [behind] what ends up happening throughout the season.’
If anything he argued that ‘being naked means they’re a little more vulnerable’. ‘It eliminates that “I want to rip your clothes off and get into bed” because, well, here it all is,’ he added.
Although he is (for now) fully clothed in the show – which has an international cast of Brits, Aussies, Canadians, Poles and Americans – he has had his fair share of nude dalliances to draw inspiration from for the gig.
‘I mean if a date ends up in nudity it was a good date in my eyes,’ he teased before spilling the tea on a saucy wardrobe malfunction while on a date.
‘I remember years ago, and I’m talking years ago, I was on a date and I was invited to a party with someone and I was wearing a grey trouser.
‘Everyone gets up and dances [and] I danced and ripped from (what’s the correct terminology?) from the perineum to the top of the gluteal clef,’ he proudly declared.
Before adding: ‘And I had no underwear on.’
‘What did you do?’ I asked. Unphased, he shrugged: ‘There weren’t really a lot I could do. Everyone saw my ass but it’s a nice bum and I got another date out of it.’
But, at the end of the day, putting on an unexpected show on the dance floor is a far cry from Adam-and-Eve-ing it on national television.
When asked if, as a layperson, the singer-turned-media personality would consider going on, Rylan said actually watching it unfold completely changed his outlook.
‘There is no way in a million years I would have applied for Dating Naked UK [before] but now I’ve seen it, I would,’ he stated.
‘There’s something about this show that, as much as it’s a bit voyeuristic and shock factor, there’s [also] something really warm about it.’
And although the cast is as good-looking as you would expect, Rylan drove home the importance of body diversity.
‘They’re not all clones of each other either. We’ve got people of all different shapes and body sizes,’ he said.
As he pointed to various points on his chest, he continued: ‘Some of the girls’ breasts are here, some of the girls’ breasts are here, some of the girls’ breasts are here.’
He then expanded his hands to various sizes, adding: ‘Some of the boys’ penises are this big, that big, in the middle, every aspect of the human body.
‘We didn’t want everyone to be a size six, long blonde hair, same body, same face. That’s not what we wanted and what we ended up with was gorgeous contestants inside and out.’
Of course, the filming experience was just as chaotic as the premise of the show itself, with the former X Factor star reminiscing on a particularly aggressive insect ‘the size of a fist’ that flew right at him.
‘I genuinely thought it had come from hell and I just completely broke down which in turn set off these dogs that were nearby that then wouldn’t shut the f**k up all night because I’d shouted,’ he said while laughing.
But then – suddenly switching into presenter mode – he added that there is a particularly memorable moment that will grip viewers in the second half to the season that ‘changes’ everything.
‘All I’ll say without spoiling anything is to look out for heaven and hell. A twist that we had planned – that I was dressed for the occasion for – the fallout was bigger than we expected and changed the course of the rest of the season,’ he teased.
In a media landscape saturated with an ever-revolving list of reality show formats claiming to have cracked the formula for true love, Rylan truly believes getting nude may be the magic ingredient, confirming that couples from the show are still together.
Dating Naked UK is premiering the same month as Netflix’s Love Is Blind UK, hosted by Emma and Matt Willis. A popular dating series with the ‘complete opposite’ premise where hopeful singles get engaged without ever seeing the other person.
‘I love Emma and Matt as well. It’s so nice that [they] are doing that. I’m so thrilled for them. They’re the best couple in the world,’ he gushed.
And when asked whether ‘sight unseen’ or ‘baring it all’ would win in a showdown, he mulled over it for a moment before sharing his verdict.
‘I think if I’m feeling a bit groggy, then I’m definitely sight unseen. If I’ve had a little spray tan, had my hair done, then I’m getting my kit off,’ he cheekily sidestepped.
Helming yet another wild dating show feels like a natural inclusion in Rylan’s career, as he conquers the breadth of reality TV from the classic Big Brother to the daytime talk show This Morning to his recent travel show with Rob Rinder.
‘This show is nothing like anything else I’ve done but everything like everything else I’ve done,’ he reflected.
‘Yes there’s going to be a lot of people out there like: “Sorry they’re naked what?” But when you watch it you have your fun for five minutes and then it just becomes so normal and that’s exactly what happened with us.’
And after a rough few years navigating life after his difficult divorce from ex-husband Dan Neal, he is simply grateful to still be here and creating TV that he loves.
‘I didn’t know I’d still be here now. I didn’t know I’d still be working in this industry let alone hosting shows,’ he said about where he saw his career going after finishing fifth in the X Factor back in 2012.
‘I’m where I should be [and] I’m a firm believer in there’s a reason why I’m sat here now. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am now, I’m very lucky.
‘What the last three, four years have taught me is that anything can change at any minute and to not worry about tomorrow. Enjoy today. That’s how I live my life now.’
Although he doesn’t end our chat without getting one dropping one final gem – his words of wisdom to his younger self.
‘Get a pre-nup and don’t take life too seriously.’
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Dating Naked UK premieres on Paramount Plus on Friday, August 23.
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