Beau Ryan

Beau Ryan
Ryan in November 2014
Born	(1985-05-11) 11 May 1985 (age 39) [1] Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Occupations	Rugby league footballer television presenter radio presenter actor singer
Years active	2007–present
Employer	Network 10
Television	The Footy Show The Amazing Race Australia
Spouse	Kara Orwell ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	1
Rugby league career
Playing information
Height	186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	89 kg (14 st 0 lb)
Position	Fullback, Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2007–12 Wests Tigers 104 46 0 0 184 2013–14 Cronulla Sharks 22 7 0 0 28 Total 126 53 0 0 212 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2012 Prime Minister's XIII 1 1 0 0 4
Source: [2] [3]

Beau Ryan (born 11 May 1985) is an Australian television presenter, actor and singer and former professional rugby league footballer. He played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. Ryan is also well known for his comedic work on The Footy Show . On 5 June 2014, Ryan announced his immediate retirement whilst on The Footy Show, due to a neck injury. Beau Ryan released a single, "Where You From?" featuring Justice Crew on 19 September 2014.

Currently, Ryan is the host of Network 10's reality series The Amazing Race Australia and a co-host of Network 10's sport competition series Gladiators Australia alongside Liz Ellis.

Early career

Ryan is of distant Irish heritage and was raised in Albion Park ^[4] and played junior football with Wests Illawarra. In 2003, Ryan was selected to represent in the New South Wales Schoolboys team. In 2005 he won the Jersey Flegg Cup with the St. George Illawarra Dragons team ^[5] under coach Steve Price, but left the club as he was behind centres Matt Cooper, Mark Gasnier and Wes Naiqama. ^[6]

Television/radio career

Ryan (right) at the 2016 TV Week Logie Awards

From 2009, Ryan began making regular "comedic" appearances on The Footy Show , and in 2010 started his own "comedy" segment, "Beau Knows...". ^[7] He has also created two popular characters; DJ Yallah, an Egyptian-Australian DJ from Bankstown and Donnie Palmer, a Titans trainer who is obsessed with doing stretches. Other material includes sketches mocking fellow NRL players. ^[8]

Former coach Tim Sheens said of Ryan's television appearances, "Some players play golf on their day off. He goes and has some fun doing some television. At the moment, TV is his interest and good luck to him as long as it doesn't overtake his football." ^[9] Ryan continued on The Footy Show, with a larger role in 2012. ^[10]

In early June 2016, Ryan was involved in controversial segment on The Footy Show which viewers deemed "racist" and "abhorrent". The Nine Network issued an apology for the segment. ^[11]

Ryan has advertising contracts for several clothing lines. ^[12]

In 2017, Ryan started filming for the new NRL/AFL cross code movie called “Chasing Comets” which was written and produced by fellow ex-NRL player Jason Stevens. Ryan featured in the movie as a rugby league player called Tom who played on the Comets team. The movie was released to Australian and New Zealand cinemas in 2018 and premiered on Network Ten in 2019. This movie was Beau Ryan's debut of acting in a film.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 2018, Ryan co-hosted a breakfast radio show with John Stanley on the ill-fated Macquarie Sports Radio network. Beau was let go, replaced by ex-footballer Mark Riddell.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 2019, Ryan was announced as the host of Network 10's revival of The Amazing Race Australia , replacing Grant Bowler, who hosted the earlier Seven Network iteration of the show. ^{[13] [14]}

In January 2022, Ryan appeared as a contestant on the eighth season of Network 10's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Australia. ^[15] He was the second celebrity to leave the jungle, having withdrawn from the series on day 14. ^[16]

In October 2023, it was announced that Ryan would host Network 10's revival of the sports entertainment competition show Gladiators Australia, alongside Liz Ellis. ^[17]

List of television roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Category
2009–2014	The Footy Show	Himself	Regular Guest	Television
2014–2018	The Footy Show	Himself	Co-host	Television
2018	Chasing Comets	Tom	Cast Member	Film
2019–	The Amazing Race Australia	Himself	Host	Television
	Studio 10	Himself	Co-host	Television
2022	I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!	Himself	Contestant	Television
2024-	Top Gear Australia	Himself	Co-host	Television
2024–	Gladiators Australia	Himself	Co-host	Television

Professional playing career

Wests Tigers

Ryan joined the Wests Tigers and made his debut in round 16 of the 2007 NRL season. He played a further two games that year, scoring a try in his second appearance. The next season, he played in 15 games.

From 2009 onwards, Ryan was a regular winger for the Wests Tigers. He scored a personal best 13 tries that year, including seven tries in the last 4 games. Soon after, Ryan signed a contract to remain with the Tigers until the end of the 2012 season. ^[18]

Injury hampered Ryan's season in 2011, and he didn't take his regular position on the wing until round 14. He scored 8 tries in the remaining 13 games, including the last try of the qualifying final match against St George Illawara as the Wests Tigers came from 12-6 down at half time to win 21–12.

Ryan started the 2012 season by scoring 4 tries in his first 3 games. Later in the season he played games in the centres and at fullback (two after late withdrawals by Tim Moltzen), and it was said, "many good judges rate him the most improved player in the game." ^[4] He was one of the few players to play in all 24 games for the club in 2012, scoring 9 tries. He made 310 runs during the year, among the NRLs top twenty performers, ^[19] and was named in the Prime Minister's XIII at the end of the regular season. ^[20]

Having previously announced a contract extension on The Footy Show, Ryan later signed a three-year contract with the Cronulla Sharks. Ryan said, "I agreed to a three-year deal but never received any formal documentation...I never got the opportunity to sign anything." ^[21]

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Ryan started playing for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the 2013 NRL season, during which the club was being investigated by ASADA. ^[22] In the finals for this season, he scored a controversial 7th tackle try against the North Queensland Cowboys. This try would soon decide the match and retrospectively, knocked the Cowboys out of the competition. ^[23]

On 5 June 2014, Ryan announced his immediate retirement from rugby league on The NRL Footy Show, due to an ongoing neck injury. ^[24]

Music career

Ryan released his debut single titled "Where You From?" featuring Justice Crew on 19 September 2014. It was released through Sony Music Australia. ^[25] It debuted at number 19 on the ARIA Singles Chart. ^[26]

Personal life

Ryan and longtime partner, Kara Orrell announced to Woman's Day they were expecting their first child and engaged to be married in August 2012. ^[27] The couple married on 14 October 2012, and Kara gave birth to their daughter Remi in January 2013. ^[28]

In September 2015, a story appeared in a magazine that Ryan had been involved in an affair with former Hi-5 singer Lauren Brant. Brant's fiancé at the time stated that she admitted to the relationship while she and Ryan were appearing together in a Sydney Theatre production. ^[29] Ryan took leave from The Footy Show to spend time with his family with a Nine Network source saying he had issues he was dealing with. ^[30] He was removed by Woolworths as the face of an advertising campaign. ^[31] Ryan returned to TheFooty Show in October and neither denied nor admitted to the alleged affair but he apologised to people who had been hurt. ^[32] In an interview in 2016 he admitted knowing his wife was hurt and that he was embarrassed. ^[33]

Discography

Singles

Single, with selected chart position

Year	Title	Peak chart positions
		AUS [34]
2014	"Where You From?" (featuring Justice Crew)	19

Footnotes

1. Beau Ryan at the Rugby League Project
2. Rugby League Project
3. League Central
4. Phil Rothfield (20 July 2012). "Phil Rothfield talks footy, fun and Shire madness with Wests Tigers winger Beau Ryan". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
5. Andrew Webster (25 June 2011). "Serious side of funnyman Beau Ryan". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Retrieved 3 January 2011.
6. Michael Chammas (5 August 2011). "Tiger who missed out on Dragons: Ryan recalls life in the junior ranks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
7. Glenn Jackson (3 April 2010). "Why the Tigers' TV talent is laughing". The Age. Retrieved 10 April 2009.
8. "Cronulla Sharks and Footy Show star Beau Ryan announces retirement from the NRL, will focus on Channel 9 career 6 June 2014". News.com.au. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
9. Phil Rothfield (6 September 2011). "Beau Ryan knows how to juggle careers". Herald Sun. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
10. Phil Rothfield (20 July 2012). "Phil Rothfield talks footy, fun and Shire madness with Wests Tigers winger Beau Ryan". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
11. "Beau Ryan's racist Footy Show segment sparks outrage 3 June 2016". New.com.au. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
12. "Beau Ryan shows his inner Zoolander". The Daily Telegraph. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
13. "First look of Beau Ryan as host of 'The Amazing Race'". New Idea. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
14. "Amazing Race Australia host Beau Ryan: "My daughter is finally excited about my job!"". Now To Love. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
15. "All the celebs taking on the jungle for 'I'm a Celebrity' 2022". Who. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
16. Release, Media (20 January 2022). "BEAU RYAN calls time on the Aussie jungle in I'M A CELEBRITY... GET ME OUT OF HERE". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
17. "Meet the Australian Gladiators 2024 Cast". Who. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
18. "Tigers sign extended deals for trio". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 19 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
19. "Beau Ryan". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
20. "Injuries force changes to PM's XIII". ABC News. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
21. "Beau Ryan's Wests Tigers Departure: Matty Johns Has His Say". Triple M. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
22. "Cronulla Supplements Timeline 21 August 2013". ABC News. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
23. "Cronulla Sharks go through as North Queensland Cowboys robbed by seventh tackle try 15 September 2013". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
24. Cronulla Sharks winger Beau Ryan retires from rugby league due to neck injury, The Daily Telegraph, 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
25. "Where You From? (feat. Justice Crew) - Single". iTunes Australia. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
26. Ryan, Gavin (27 September 2014). "The Veronicas Become Second Brisbane Act of '14 Top ARIA Singles". Noise11. Noise Network. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
27. "A bub for West Tiger's star Beau Ryan". Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
28. Beau Ryan’s wife Kara has given birth to the couple’s first child
29. "Cheating scandal: "Beau Ryan slept with my fiancée" 7 September 2015". Woman's Day. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
30. "Beau Ryan and Lauren Brant reportedly had a romantic liaison, her ex-fiance claims 8 September 2016". News,com.au. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
31. "Beau Ryan dumped from Woolies ad campaign 10 September 2016". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
32. "Beau Ryan addresses cheating accusations on The Footy Show 2 October 2016". The Sydney Morning Herald. October 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
33. "Kara Ryan on Beau's affair scandal: 'I was actually more worried for him' 30 March 2016". News.com.au. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
34. Hung, Steffen. "Discography Beau Ryan". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.

External links

• Beau Ryan at IMDb
• Beau Ryan at the Rugby League Project