Emotional Ties: Presenter and Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan Clark-Neal shares the things that mean the most
Presenter and Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan Clark-Neal shares the little things that mean the most
Rylan Clark-Neal
I built a room like the one in Celebrity Big Brother to house the Diary Room Chair from the year that I won [2013]. I come in here to read and chill out. I believe it’s the only purpose-built Big Brother Diary Room in the country. It’s got my badges from the show draped on it.
The sound of water calms me down and I’ve always loved water features. This one is under my stairs and made from rock and resin. I’m trying to create a Japanese garden vibe and plan to surround it with plants. I love that outdoors-indoors thing.
It may look like a snow globe but this actually has my nan’s ashes inside. She was my mum’s mum and like a second mother to me. I lived with her for big parts of my life. I wanted to keep her ashes, but didn’t want an urn, which felt depressing. Sometimes I stroke and talk to it.
I’m allergic to animal fur but I love dogs so I have these chrome ones instead. The bigger ones came from the Big Brother house and the bulldog was given to me by a fan. They’re well trained: they always ‘stay’ and never have accidents on the carpet.
Expert perfumer Roja Dove gave this to me as a gift after I had the privilege of working with him on This Morning a year ago. He was impressed by my knowledge of scent. I have about 200 perfumes, but this is one I’ll wear for ever.
This wedding album is a wonderful reminder of the best day of my life. Dan and I married at Braxted Park in Essex, in November 2015. I always dreamed of a winter wedding on a sunny day and that’s what we got. We met through Big Brother in 2013.
My husband [Dan Neal] and I went on ITV’s All Star Mr & Mrs before we got married. It was the first thing we’d done together publicly – I like to keep my private life private. We got this carriage clock for making it through to the final.
I started presenting a Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2 this year and I love it. This is my first script – I will keep it as a reminder of what I achieved. I got the job shortly after turning 30 and I did think, ‘How much more grown-up can I get?’