Harry Clark, who found fame as part of the BBC One series The Traitors, has described meeting the Pope as “one of the coolest experiences” of his life.
Speaking ahead of his new BBC documentary, Harry Clark Goes to Rome he revealed that he achieved his seemingly impossible quest of meeting Pope Leo and even prayed for him.
They also exchanged gifts, with Clark giving the pope a Chelsea football shirt with his name and title on the back.
The documentary follows the 24-year-old on a personal journey to Rome in search of answers about faith, identity and what it means to be a “good” Catholic in the modern world.
But at the centre of his journey is his goal of meeting the pontiff.
In an emotional climax, Harry - accompanied by his mother Georgia - was granted a private audience with Pope Leo.
What follows is a heartfelt, surreal and often humorous encounter that captures the spirit of the film: hope, faith and the power of believing in something bigger than yourself.
Clark said: “I never thought the Pope would want to meet me but here we are. It was a life changing experience and it was great to do it alongside my mum.
“It was the first time in my life my mind was blown and I thought wow, I'm just a kid from a council house in Slough and here I am sitting opposite Pope Leo XIV talking about the importance of mental health awareness and that whether you have faith or not, life is worth living.
“My message to other young people is to never let anyone tell you you can’t achieve or accomplish something. Keep dreaming big.”
The former British Army engineer said his “overwhelming nerves” turned into pure excitement as he finally met the Pope, and he felt a genuine connection between them.
He even asked the Pope about football - before gifting him the Chelsea FC shirt, which was warmly received.
Clark said the experience was even more poignant because he was able to share it with his mother who he said first instilled his faith and supported him through the most challenging moments of his life.
He was born into a Catholic family, baptised and after confirmation he recently told Premier Christianity he found his “own faith. I’d only ever been to church because my mum made me go to church. I was going through the motions. But confirmation was really the moment where I wanted faith to be a big part of my life.”
Clark credits taking part in a pilgrimage to the Alps for a previous BBC documentary for deepening his faith.
He told the BBC :"I'd got to such a good place with my faith. I honestly believe I'm only where I am now because of it. It saved me in the army. It saved me from doing a lot of stupid things. Having faith is like that extra armour on the side. It's like the clothes I wear or the protection I have. It's honestly why I think I am where I am now, because if I didn't pray, if I didn't have God in my life, I wouldn't be who I am today.
"I see myself as a modern Catholic. I believe in God, but I don't necessarily believe in every tradition the church has always dictated. And I just felt you could be as close to God through the church within yourself. So, the question became - 'how do I deepen my faith further?' And I realised the answer was to go to the epicentre of Catholicism, Rome, and ask all the tough questions to the top people there."
Harry Clark Goes to Rome – is on Thursday 2nd April at 10.40pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.