Inside Tulisa and Rylan’s decade-long friendship that is still going strong

Though Rylan leapt to Tulisa’s defence on Twitter this week after people rudely pointed out the change in her appearance that came after years of battling Bell’s palsy, the two first met way back in 2012 on The X Factor.

The world of showbusiness is cutthroat but there are a few moments in British popular culture that remind us that humans can, in fact, be quite lovely. Twitter users witnessed this first hand this week as former X Factor contestant Rylan defended judge turned-friend Tulisa as she stepped back into the spotlight as one of the 2024 I’m A Celeb cast.

Though no one was necessarily expecting Rylan to leap to Tulisa’s defence, the two have a long history that began in 2012 on The X Factor stage. Rylan was competing in the competition at the same time Tulisa was issuing iconic moment after iconic moment in her first year as a judge.

Rylan had a notoriously difficult time on The X Factor as some argued that Rylan was not a good performer and others doubled down on obviously homophobic rhetoric.

Credit: YouTube/X Factor Global

In one particularly critical moment, Gary Barlow accused Rylan of ruining his night as he said: “I really was having fun until you started singing.”

Gary continued with his cruel comments, saying he was “embarrassed” to be sitting on the judge’s panel and the other judges should be ashamed of themselves for voting yes to Rylan in the auditions. Tulisa soon came to his defence.

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“It is cheesy, and it is a cabaret, and if I didn’t say that I’d be lying, but, you are an entertainer and your vocals were on point tonight,” she said. “I don’t think this competition would be the same without you.”

They maintained a friendship after The X Factor

Even after the show’s conclusion, which saw Tulisa’s act Little Mix arise victorious, she and Rylan remained fairly close as they popped up at various star-studded events.

To celebrate his birthday in 2012, Rylan brought together X Factor alumni including Lucy Spraggan, Union J, James Arthur, Kaye Sones, Nicole Scherzinger, and Tulisa herself. As Ryan sported an American football player costume, Tulisa opted for the classic sexy vampire as she posed for pictures with blood dripping down her neck.

In other pictures from the evening, Tulisa can be seen sharing laughs with Rylan and Nichole between posing for Instagram-worthy shots.

In 2018, Rylan and Tulisa attended the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards in London where, you guessed it, they posed for more pictures. Louis Walsh also made an appearance as Rylan and Tulisa made kissy faces at one another.

Rylan has defended Tulisa on I’m a Celeb

Also before people start going for appearance, Tulisa has been through a lot health wise the last few years so let’s not make shit jokes about her on twitter yeah x

— R Y L A N (@Rylan) November 17, 2024

Almost immediately after the first I’m a Celeb episode, people posted negative comments online about Tulisa’s transformation over the years, with some blaming plastic surgery without learning the context. In fact, Tulisa has been fighting against a neurological disorder, Bell’s palsy, that causes paralysis or weakness to one side of the face.

Taking to Twitter himself, Rylan penned: “Also before people start going for appearance, Tulisa has been through a lot health wise the last few years so let’s not make shit jokes about her on Twitter yeah x.”

Tulisa has been transparent about her change in appearance, having earlier told Olivia Attwood: “My whole face just dropped. Eye everything. I couldn’t even move it. So, my face remained like that for seven months. I didn’t go out, I just hid. Coming to the end of the seven months, my face is still not right. I still have the mild swelling.”

She used fillers to “balance” her face for years and only recently dipped her toe into the world of cosmetic surgery.

Featured Image credit: Photo by Coalition Pictures Ltd/Shutterstock

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