Rylan only auditioned for X Factor because his car broke down

Watch: Rylan Clark auditions for The X Factor in 2012

If he hadn't auditioned in front of The X Factor panel in 2012, Rylan Clark definitely wouldn't be the household name he is today. But the decision to sing for the judges actually came out of misfortune.

Rylan told the Mirror that he hoped to get a bit of financial security from a brief run on the ITV talent show, but never hoped to secure long-term fame. In fact, the plans were all triggered by the demise of his beloved car.

"I’ll tell you the God's honest truth. The reason I went on X Factor was my car just broke down, right? Patsy the Peugeot, long may she rest," the 35-year-old confessed.

He added: "I thought, if I could go on that show, last one week of live shows, get a couple of gigs in some gay clubs, earn about 20 grand, I’ll be able to get a new Patsy, buy my mum a new front door, and might be able to start renting somewhere on my own as I was still living with my mum at the time."

But Rylan experienced a level of success on The X Factor that he never expected. Under the mentorship of Nicole Scherzinger, he made it all the way to the quarter-finals before he was eventually eliminated from the competition.

Just months after X Factor, Rylan entered the Celebrity Big Brother house and ended up being crowned as the winner.

The star said he remains eternally thankful to the people who voted for him during his reality TV show career, which is why he still has so much time for his fans today.

He added: "If I’m walking about and someone asks for a photo I will always stop because my whole life was a public vote at one point. If it weren’t for the public, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing in the first place."

Rylan was soon announced as one of the presenters of Big Brother spin-off show Bit on the Side, which began his career as a TV host. He has since secured dozens of hosting gigs, as well as being one of the faces of the UK's Eurovision Song Contest coverage.

He has a lot of reasons to thank Patsy the Peugeot for breaking down. She certainly had his back.

Read more:

• Rylan's brutally honest reason for ruling out This Morning job full-time

• Rylan thought he had to be nude while presenting Naked Dating UK

• Simon Cowell hints there 'might be a plan' for new X Factor-style show