3. He knew he was playing a role on X Factor Rylan started his career as something of a national joke. As a contestant on The X Factor, in 2012, he was a novelty act – once described as “talentless” by Gary Barlow – and says he came to understand why he was there. “My job wasn’t to stand there and sing and be a pop star,” he says. “My job was to be on the front page of the paper every single morning… I didn’t know that at first. I wasn’t in on the joke, if you like. There was a moment when it clicked and that’s when I felt fine.” He says his ambition was to earn, “a couple of grand so I could buy myself a new car,” so he played the game and, “I did my job very, very well.” He eventually placed fifth.