’s legacy lives on with its , indelible and touching friendships – including that of and James Arthur, who are still close buddies some 10 years on.
Rylan and James both took part on series nine of the now-defunct ITV talent show in 2012, when judges included , , Tulisa AKA the Female Boss, and Nicole Scherzinger.
Celebrating a decade of friendship, TV and radio, presenter Rylan, 33, shared a photo of the pair in an embrace and added the caption: ‘Ten Years ❤️ @JamesArthur23.’
Fans were loving the pic which got us all nostalgic, with one commenting: ‘What a lovely picture guys @JamesArthur23 hasn’t time flown!’
Another added: ‘The talent on that year was off the scale.’
James, 34, ended up winning the competition, with Jahméne Douglas coming in second, and Christopher Maloney placing third.
Finalists included Rylan, Ella Henderson and Union J.
Rylan has previously described James as ‘one of my best friends’, saying they ‘shared a bed together for 10 weeks’ when they were living together during the competition. ‘I love him to bits,’ he added.
The Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host recently announced to mark a decade working in the entertainment industry.
Taking to social media he uploaded a video montage of highlights from the last 10 years.
‘TEN: The decade that changed my future. Wow. All the emotions,’ he wrote. ‘This book celebrates ten years of me being in this crazy industry.
‘We all know I should have lasted ten minutes, so how I’ve lasted ten years, I’ll never know. Learned so many lessons, especially in the last year but it’s been a journey, and I can’t wait to share it with you very soon.
‘And if audiobooks are a bit of you, you can pre-order the audiobook which will be read by, yes – yours truly.’
The book will hit shelves on September 29, and is available for pre-order now.
Meanwhile, James recently announced he will be featuring in a mental health documentary with . The film will feature the musician discussing issues with antidepressants and depression while speaking with others who have been through a similar experience.
Speaking about the ‘special’ project, he said: ‘Obviously the subject matter is extremely heavy.
So it’s been really difficult to hear from blokes who have had the courage to offer up their stories for the film knowing how important it is to be a part of something like this.’
He continued: ‘It’s a topic that undoubtedly needs more discussion; male mental health, and our reliance as a nation on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication.’
