BBC Radio host Rylan Clark and his new funfair worker boyfriend Kennedy Bates were laughing and chatting with friends as they went public with their romance on Saturday

Rylan Clark and his new boyfriend have gone public(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Rylan Clark and new boyfriend Kennedy Bates proudly showed off their blossoming love at Radio 2 In The Park. The couple were spotted together socialising with friends in the VIP area at the event in Chelmsford on Saturday.

Former X Factor star Rylan, 36, has been a BBC Radio host since 2018 and had an instant pass to the glitzy event. While 47-year-old Kennedy was a beaming plus one alongside the radio and television star.

The boys appeared in good spirits as they joined friends at a picnic bench, chatted and laughed with their group of chums, and looked relaxed and comfortable in each other’s company as they spent their time in the sunshine.

The Radio and TV host is now dating funfair worker Kennedy Bates(Image: instagram/bbfunfair)

According to an eyewitness, conversation and banter was flirty as the pair – who were revealed to be dating last month – spend the day together. And those around the couple could not deny the chemistry between the TV host and the funfair worker.

A onlooker told The Sun: “Rylan and his new man looked seriously in love, they were having a great time together in the VIP.

“They were laughing and joking, and there was lots of PDA. At one point, Rylan playfully smacked Kennedy on the bum when he headed off while his boyfriend stood in the queue for food. Kennedy was also chatting to Rylan’s mum, Linda; he’s clearly been accepted by the family.”

The source went on to explain that Rylan brought a lively energy to the area and “looked happy to have his new man by his side.”

Fans will be elated to hear that Rylan is enjoying his new romance – after the collapse of his marriage to Dan Neal devastated him in 2021.

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Rylan married ex-policeman Dan Neal in 2015 – but the marriage collapsed in 2021(Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

The star’s new relationship was revealed last month, with reports explaining that the pair had been secretly dating all summer. A source previously told The Sun on Sunday: “This new man has certainly put a smile back on Rylan’s face and they have been enjoying spending lots of time together.

“Rylan’s family and friends have all met him, and they’ve been attending lots of gigs together this summer, including Oasis.”

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Rylan was previously coerced into revealing his happy news while on his radio show where he was talking about his podcast, How to Be in Love, which recently featured Louis Theroux. After he played a clip from his show where Louis spoke about how he met his wife, Rylan’s co-star Lottie cheekily asked if there was “something else” that was mentioned.

And this prompted the TV personality to confess that he had been seeing someone. At first Rylan was coy about revealing that he was no longer single, as he said: “I might have said that I’m… it feels weird saying it on the radio!”

Lottie then admitted that she too and the team had met Rylan’s new man and went on to describe him as “lovely.”

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Rylan even revealed he had discussed the idea of having children with Kennedy. He said: “At this time I’m very happy. Recently I have gotten into a relationship and it’s great. And it feels very different to anything I’ve had before, which is a good sign to me.”

He confirmed Kennedy was the first person he has introduced to his family since splitting from Dan. Documentary maker Louis probed Rylan about the romance as he asked if they had thought about having a family of their own.

“Is that something you’ve been thinking about?” Louis asked. Rylan candidly replied: “Yeah I want kids. He wants kids.”