BBC Radio 2 presenter Rylan Clark has shared an update on his personal life, revealing he has a new love in his life – and it’s not his boyfriend Kennedy Bates
Rylan Clark has unveiled an unexpected new passion in his life—a robotic lawn mower he’s lovingly dubbed Alan Tech Marsh. The TV host, who resides in a lavish modern abode in Essex, was brimming with joy as he shared the news, confessing he feels “fortunate” to have stumbled upon the gadget that has revolutionised his garden maintenance.
The 36-year-old often discusses the home he renovated following his split from ex-husband Dan Neal, a property boasting a luxurious pool house and a dedicated Diary Room.
The residence, valued at around £1.2 million, also houses a gym and serves as the filming location for Celebrity Gogglebox, which he shoots with his mum Linda, creating a unique blend of family and work space.
Situated on expansive grounds, the property has always demanded regular upkeep, a task he previously entrusted to professional gardeners. However, thanks to his advanced tech assistant, the popular television personality claims he’s discovered a new fixation.
Speaking on his BBC Radio 2 programme, Rylan stated: “Everyone’s always told me, and I’m very lucky that I’ve got nice grass, nice land. So I’ve always had a gardener that comes and makes everything nice.”
Rylan has revealed that he’s found a solution to managing his vast lawn—a robot lawn mower. “I have managed to find a company that has made me a robot lawn mower that just does it. Every day he sets off. It’s like a pet. He’s amazing, because I thought I’m not going to be able to get a robot that’s going to cut all this grass—it’s too much,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
The former X Factor star and presenter of Radio 2 and Strictly: It Takes Two admitted he became “transfixed” watching the mower at work, even sitting outside in the dark to observe it. “Well, I found it. Guess what I’ve named him? Alan Tech Marsh,” he chuckled.
“I love Alan. He’s so lovely. He goes about, it’s like a big remote-control car thing. I’ve set up the boundary and everything. Monday night, you should have seen me. I was sat there. It was pitch black, but Alan didn’t care. Alan doesn’t care. He’s got lights. He’s got night vision. Watching him cut that grass—I was transfixed for hours.”
Rylan also shared that the mower operates entirely independently, something that still amazes him. “There are no controls,” he explained. “I’ve set up the boundary. I’ve set up the schedule. I don’t have to do anything. He’s probably having a little walk about now.”
Asked how the mower knows when to start, Rylan added: “He starts when I tell him I want him to go. I’ve scheduled him for four days a week just to keep it at the exact height I want, and he just goes back to his little charging house, charges up, and then off he goes again.”
Following a challenging period in his personal life, which included his marriage falling apart, supporters have been thrilled to witness Rylan embracing life’s happier moments once more.
In September, the BBC personality made things official on Instagram with his partner Kennedy Bates, who runs a funfair business.
Rylan initially hinted at his fresh romance during an instalment of his podcast, How To Be In Love, back in August. While he kept Kennedy’s identity under wraps at the time, he did acknowledge he’d been quietly seeing someone for a period.
He’s subsequently become more candid about their partnership, recently posting snaps of the couple during a loved-up getaway to Florence.
