Rylan Clark said he wanted to go ‘mad’ at a homophobe in Italy (Picture: UKTV)
Rylan Clark has said he wanted to ‘go mad’ after being attacked by vile homophobes in Italy.
The Eurovision host had been with a drag queen collective in Venice, along with Rob Rinder, 45, for their upcoming BBC travel show Grand Tour.
The group had been crossing San Marco Square when a young man shouted a homophobic slur at them.
Rylan, 35, said the horrific abuse made him ‘want to go mad, go after the bloke and knock him out.’
But after the homophobe yelled the horrendous slur, Rylan said a group of nonnas in their 90s stood up and applauded him.
The nonna’s supportive response changed the former X Factor star’s perception of generational attitudes.
Recounting the ordeal on Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right podcast, Rylan said that LGBTQ+ progress can feel like it’s going ‘backward’ and used his experience in Italy as an example.
Rylan and Rob were verbally abused when they were in Italy (Picture: BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah)
A man in Venice shouted a homophobic slur at them (Picture: BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah)
He said during filming they met a drag collective in Venice who are forced to perform behind closed doors because they did not feel ‘safe’ in the streets.
Rylan said: ‘All these people would meet behind closed doors – now in 2024 – to dress up in drag, have fun, have a lovely day, wipe off all the drag, and then go back out on the streets of Venice and go home.’
The former It Takes Two presenter said he and Rob got dressed in drag and joined the collective for a stroll across Venice’s piazzas.
He continued: ‘We were walking through the streets and one thing that really stood out was someone shouted out something in Italian.
Rylan said after the abuse a group of nonnas stood up and clapped (Picture: BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah)
Rylan said it made him change his perspective on generational attitudes (Picture: BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah)
‘It was a young guy, probably 20-something, I turned to one of the drag queens and said, “What did he just say?”. And they said, “Burn the [homophobic slur].”
‘I’m now 20 foot in a pair of heels – because I’m 19 without; I wanted to go mad. I wanted to go after this bloke and basically knock him out.’
Rylan continued: ‘Then what happened, 20 metres later there was a group of old nonnas, probably in their 90s, and they all stood up and clapped us.
‘It was that realisation of thinking we always blame the older generation for everything, they’re backward in their thinking, when actually it was that generation that was applauding this collective for being comfortable in who they are, and yet it was our generation of people who were shouting out the [homophobic slur].’
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Rylan has previously revealed the vile homophobic messages he was sent after his powerful football documentary, Rylan: Homophobia, Football and Me, aired on Tuesday.
He recalled his own memories of what growing up as a football fan as a gay man was like, saying he had his ‘fair share of s**t thrown at me’.
After the show aired, Rylan shared screenshots of some of the abuse he received on Instagram.
He wrote: ‘Thanks to everyone who watched last night. Here’s a few comments from the promo vids that have been released from my documentary about homophobia in football.
Rylan will feature alongside Rob in a travel series about Italy (Picture: BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah)
‘Just thought I’d highlight the reason why I was asked to front this show. Case closed. I’ve blurred the usernames as to not encourage the same behaviour towards them.
‘Thanks for all your great comments, and thanks to everyone involved in making the show x.’
Rylan’s post was showered in support from fans and friends alike with Union J singer Josh Cuthbert writing: ‘The world still needs massively educating doesn’t it. F**k sake.’
Soaps star James Sutton added: ‘So much love for you and so much respect for this project.’
Zander Murray, Scotland’s first openly gay male footballer, also shared: ‘Ignore them ❤️ making a big impact.’
Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour starts on Sunday, May 12 at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
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