The Radio 2 host has introduced us to the legend that is Linda Clark
Rylan Clark has come a long way since his X Factor days, and he’s brought his mum along for the ride. The former singer is now a much-loved presenter, hosting shows such as Supermarket Sweep, Strictly Come Dancing: It takes two, and This Morning. He’s also a huge Eurovision fan and is a commentator for the semi-finals alongside Scott Mills.
As well as gracing the small screen, Rylan also has a show on BBC Radio 2 on a Saturday afternoon where his segment with his mum, Linda, is popular with listeners. In it, Rylan gives his mum a ring to find out what she’s been up to that week, and what her weekend plans are. In fact, listeners enjoy it so much that when Rylan was on holiday recently, stand-in host Paddy McGuinness still called Linda to check up on her.
But who is Rylan’s mum, and what does she get up to when she’s not appearing on her son’s show?
How old is Rylan's mum?
Linda Clark is 71 and has a close relationship with son Rylan, 35. She also has another son – Rylan's brother Jamie, who stays out of the limelight. Back in 2022, Rylan revealed that his mum had undergone cosmetic dentistry at the same dentist he uses. Linda appeared with him on This Morning to show off her new veneers.
What happened to Rylan's mum?
Readers may recall that back in 2023, Rylan took extra leave from his Radio 2 show after Linda had a fall whilst on holiday in Marbella.
Linda broke her arm and a leg when she fell and added complications from Chron’s disease made circumstances trickier. In fact, the accident was so serious that Linda needed surgery, and Rylan stayed by her side throughout. Eventually, he hired a private jet to fly his mum back to the UK, saying at the time “My first experience on a private jet was on a medical one, how’s your luck.”
Linda has since made a full recovery, and Rylan joked on Instagram that he knew she would be fine as soon as she came round from the surgery, because she asked him if she could still have a new driveway.
Three months after the accident, Rylan told The Sun his mum was “hobbling around Lakeside (shopping centre), so she’s very much back to normal.”
What health issues does Rylan's mum have?
Linda has suffered with Crohn's disease since her 30s. Crohn's is a condition that causes inflammation of the gut lining.
Rylan's mum often has to undergo surgery to remove damaged parts of her bowel and has to take regular medication as Rylan explains:
“My mum has lived with severe Crohn's Disease since 1984, four years before I was born, and the condition really shaped my childhood. She has had to undergo multiple operations to remove damaged parts of her bowel and she takes medication every day.”
In a recent social post, Rylan pictured himself and Linda on holiday in Marbella, Spain. In one video Linda was seen dancing while wearing a TPN (total parenteral nutrition), which is a device that delivers complete nutrition intravenously to people who can't use their digestive systems.
TPN is thought to be helpful in stopping the symptoms of Crohn's disease in certain people, but the treatment is still unproved.
When asked about the video Rylan confirmed he mum was wearing a TPN and said "when we're away I put her on her feeds."
Is Rylan's mum on TV?
Yes! If you want a regular Linda fix (as we do), then tune into Radio 2 on a Saturday between 3pm and 5pm as she nearly always calls in to chat to Rylan. But Linda Clark also appears on TV with her son, in Celebrity Gogglebox. The series last aired in 2023, but they’re all available to watch on channel 4 on demand. And trust us, if you want something lighthearted that’ll make you smile, it’s worth watching.
At the moment, there’s no Celebrity Gogglebox announced for 2024 (though we are hoping there will be). However, regular Gogglebox aired its 23rd season earlier in 2024, with narrator Craig Cash and some familiar faces on the sofas, such as Giles and Mary, and Jenny and Lee. You can find all episodes on Channel 4 on demand.
What’s next for Rylan and his mum?
With no new Celebrity Gogglebox confirmed, we can only assume Linda will carry on doing what she does best – calling her son and touring the shopping and garden centres of Essex. Certainly, she might be able to help her son buying new plants for his own back yard after it was badly damaged in storms.
On Instagram, Rylan posted a picture of a large tree that had fallen, just about missing his house but crashing into a water feature that forms part of his pond. The star posted the picture alongside the caption: “Safe to say it’s windy out!”
The fallen tree is just one in a series of minor disasters that seem to befall the presenter on a semi-regular basis. In recent months he’s found a snake in his house, had a bat land in his hand, and fallen asleep in his fake tan.