Strictly Come Dancing contestant Ranvir Singh is swapping presenting for dancing next month, when she joins 12 other celebrities on the famous dancefloor.
The Good Morning Britain presenter joins the likes of Bill Bailey and Caroline Quentin for the Strictly line-up 2020.
But who is she?
Who is Ranvir Singh?
Ranvir is best known as one of the hosts of ITV’s Good Morning Britain, ITV News, The Martin Lewis Money Show, Eat, Shop, Save and most recently as a guest host of Loose Women.
She can also be seen on a new ITV show called All Around Britain in which she and Alex Beresford travel the UK celebrating life in various towns, cities and regional communities.
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Ranvir is one of the cast of Strictly 2020. When asked if she was worried about the notorious Strictly curse, she replied: “I’m single!”
Before appearing on Strictly she said: “The initial feeling of being confirmed for Strictly is one of complete terror. It feels like embarking on a rollercoaster, where you really want to do it but you are equally scared.
“Hopefully after the first dance I will feel exhilarated rather than sick!”
How old is Ranvir Singh?
Ranvir was born in Preston, Lancashire, in 1977 into a Sikh family. She is 43.
What else has Ranvir Singh done?
Ranvir kicked off her media career doing work experience BBC Radio Lancashire in 2002, before being offered a six-month contract. She then moved into TV, presenting news reports and presenting various news shows.
“My first time on live television was covering a U2 concert,” she recalls. “I wasn’t nervous, I just wanted to do my best. All was going well until someone I was interviewing swore. I just knew I was going to be in serious trouble. Sure enough, my boss asked to see me and with heavy heart, I went to her office only for her to tell me that I had handled it well and that I was a ‘natural’. I can’t describe the relief.”
The initial feeling of being confirmed for Strictly is one of complete terror.
As well fronting news shows like Exposure: When Pregnant Women Drink and Real Stories with Ranvir Singh, she has also appeared on entertainment shows like All Star Family Fortunes, The Chase and University Challenge.
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Where did she go to school?
She attended Kirkham Grammar school and graduated from the University of Lancaster with a degree in English and Philosophy.
Originally, Ranvir had considered teaching but, after chatting to a girl at the Sikh Temple in Preston who had also studied English and gone on to study journalism, she decided to do the same.
She later gained a postgraduate qualification in journalism at The School of Journalism in Preston.
While most students try to get as far away from home as possible, Ranvir said that she preferred to stay local because she loved the north so much.
“I know lots of people like to move away from their home county to go to college but I love Lancashire,” she told a local news site.
“Besides, I didn’t want to leave my mum by herself. She had done a fantastic job of bringing me up on her own, as my dad died when I was nine, and my sisters were much older.
“Anyway, the most popular girl at school had gone to Lancaster and if it was good enough for her, it was good enough for me,” she says.
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing: Ranvir Singh could be a ‘dark horse’, her GMB co-host Adil Ray reveals
Can Ranvir Singh dance?
When she was a little girl she wanted to be a ballet dancer. “Well, I think the world of ballet had a very lucky escape,” she has said.
“It’s true that when I was much younger, I had a very, shall we say, enthusiastic attitude toward it and may have even entertained ideas of setting the ballet world alight.
“However, when my teacher described what I thought was a very elegant move as ‘landing like an elephant’ I had to acknowledge any ambition in that area was only a pipe dream.”
Is Ranvir Singh married?
Ranvir married her husband Ranjeet Singh Dehal in 2012, with whom she has a son named Tushaan.
However, Ranvir recently confirmed that she has split from him after revealing on Good Morning Britain that she was single.
Prior to this, in a discussion on GMB about whether it is appropriate to check your partner’s messages, Ranvir hinted that perhaps her other half had been a little naughty.
“I have looked at it, once,” she told Ben Shepherd on the show, to which Ben replied: “Is that why you are no longer together?”
Ranvir answered: “I can’t answer that question. But I have always thought that, if you ever feel you need to do that, then the relationship is over because you obviously don’t trust that person. Should we end that conversation there?”
She then admitted she had looked at her husband’s phone, and that an issue had to be addressed.
Read more: GMB: Piers Morgan pokes fun at Ranvir Singh over ‘airbrushed’ magazine cover
How much does Ranvir Singh earn?
It is believed that Ranvir earns a whopping £550,000 from all the programmes she works on during a year.
Where does Ranvir Singh live?
Ranvir lives in London. However, eagle-eyed viewers watching Good Morning Britain in August 2020 will know exactly where she lives – after Ranvir accidentally shared her address with the nation!
The telly presenter brought her pet pooch Shmizzels onto the show, as she chatted to co-host Sean Fletcher.
However, her dog’s identity tag was fully visible on screen, which meant her details could be seen.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC on Saturday 17 October
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