Rob & Rylan’s heartache holiday
Both bruised by divorce, Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark sought solace in Italian classical culture, retracing the aristocratic Grand Tours of the 18th and 19th Century
On paper their personalities are poles apart, but TV presenters Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark have gone from being distant acquaintances who share the same divorce lawyer to enjoying what they jokingly refer to as ‘the perfect platonic marriage’. And it was filming their refreshingly raw new three-part TV series that brought them together.
Having both endured painful divorces, they were ready to embrace the next chapter in their lives by throwing themselves into experiences outside their comfort zones. And they certainly got that on Rob & Rylan’s Grand Tour, in which they retrace the steps of the 18th- and 19th-Century aristocrats who left the confines of British society behind to seek freedom and adventure on the classic upper-class gap year – a Grand Tour of the Continent’s cultural capitals.
In particular, Rob and Rylan follow the most famous Grand Tourist of all, Romantic poet Lord Byron, on the 200th anniversary of his death. He travelled to Venice in 1816 and then on to Florence and Rome, fleeing a scandalous divorce caused partly because he slept with his half-sister. ‘I don’t often compare myself to Byron, I WANTED TO BRING ROB OUT OF HIS SHELL. HE NEEDS TO UNDO A BUTTON NOW AND THEN, AND I NEED TO DO ONE UP! but I too am a divorcee,’ says criminal barrister Rob, 45, best known as formidable Judge Rinder on his UTV reality courtroom show and a former Strictly contestant. He and his ex-husband, barrister Seth Cumming, divorced in 2018. ‘And so is Rylan. And we’re both looking for a new start too.’
Regular This Morning presenter Rylan, 35, who was married to expolice detective and reality star Dan Neal for five years before they split in 2021, says they bonded easily. ‘You see the evolution of our friendship. We were just mates before but now we’re friends. We’ve both been through pain recently so we’re getting away from it on the original package holiday, the Grand Tour, which is about experiencing new things.’
During their trip, Rob is keen to convert Rylan to his passion for the art, architecture and classical music that the original Grand Tourists came to Europe to experience. Rylan jokes that ‘the nearest I’ve got to classical music is when Pete Tong did Ibiza dance tunes with an orchestra’, but nevertheless he throws himself into the culture with a passion.
In Venice, as well as taking in artistic masterpieces from the likes of Tintoretto and Canaletto, learning dancing and glass blowing, Rob conducts Vivaldi’s Four
Seasons in the church where it was first performed and the pair discover how gay men in the 18th Century found freedom at Venice’s famous masked carnival.
‘We visited mask makers and learnt about the history of the carnival which was fascinating,’ says Rylan. ‘Disguises like these were a social leveller, with rich and poor able to mingle together and become whoever they wanted.
‘For me concealer and bronzer is a mask, and it makes me feel better about facing the world. I fell into this trap because I created this almost caricature of what people expect me to be like. Everyone knows me as Rylan – a laugh, the presenter off the telly with big teeth – whereas actually at home I’m Ross. Rylan is who I am at work, but I grew up as Ross, I sit at home in a tracksuit with a Peroni and no makeup. I’m very different.’
In Florence they visit the Duomo, the cathedral. ‘I started to realise I would’ve loved to have been an architect,’ says Rylan. ‘I was lucky enough to design and build my own house. A building isn’t just something standing there – it’s a living thing. To understand how the Duomo was created over 150 years with a succession of architects was incredible.’
Their last stop is Rome, where Rob and Rylan are offered an impromptu lesson by two singers who are able to mimic the castrati – castrated male singers – who were the height of fashion and culture in the Baroque period. ‘The Grand Tourists loved Rome for its drama and romance,’ explains Rob. ‘They could see it in its architecture and its art, and hear it in its music. Italian Baroque opera was all the rage in the 18th Century.’
Making the series proved an enriching experience for the pair. ‘We learned so much from each other,’ says Rylan. ‘I come from quite a working-class background and we didn’t have art hanging up in our houses, it would be fake chandeliers from the market. Now I see art and culture in a new light. But I also wanted to dance in bars and bring Rob out of his shell. He needs to undo a button every now and again, and I need to do one up! You see this develop.’
Naturally bubbly and dynamic, Rylan reveals how his divorce took a huge mental and physical toll on him. ‘I think it was the culmination of my marriage breaking down and me stopping work for the first time in 10 years,’ he says. ‘All of a sudden I hit quite a big speed bump, but instead of carrying on, I crashed. It was the worst experience of my life. I just went on a downward spiral. I tried to end it. I tried to finish myself off. I didn’t eat. I went down to 9st – and I’m 6ft 4in! I looked horrendous. My 70year-old mum had to watch her successful son literally disintegrate.
‘But nothing fazes me now.
Looking back, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me because I sit here now so powerful, knowing I’ll never let myself get that bad again. It’s changed my outlook on life. I get less stressed out about things, I only do things that make me happy.’
Just like the original Grand Tourists, Rob and Rylan both returned more educated, independent and intrepid. ‘Our shared cultural and historical spaces are for everyone, whoever you are, whatever background you come from,’ says Rob. ‘And we show this in the series, which is important.
‘But what I’m most proud of is that it’s also about creating friendships, those people you can telephone in the middle of the night. Not just having experiences, but also being present in them. The theme of each episode is exploring these intellectual and emotional ideas, but crucially going out there and taking a risk.’
Rylan now feels able to take risks too.
He explains: ‘Dating used to worry me, thinking things like what if they cheat on me? What if they’re horrible? What if they sell a story about me? But if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I was struggling for such a long time with feeling alone, but I realise I’m actually not alone and I’m really comfortable on my own. That’s something I never thought I’d be.’
Rob & Rylan’s Grand Tour, Sunday, 9pm, BBC2.