A FAMILIAR face on news media as a presenter and political editor for ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB), Ranvir Singh has earned praise and support in equal measure with her new documentary Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Peadophile.
Hosting the documentary, which explored how Ghislaine Maxwell sank into disgrace through her friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and the pair’s links to Prince Andrew, Singh spoke to victims and also waived her own right to anonymity to talk about being the victim of sexual assault aged just 12. Talking about the moment on GMB, she said: “I was acutely aware we were on camera but it’s a human to human experience when someone is telling you something so painful. So I did say to her ‘something happened to me when I was 12 and I understand you shouldn’t feel guilty about not...’”
And fighting back tears, Singh, now 44, continued: “Do you know what, I’ve only ever told two people in my life. And in the last two weeks, I’ve had to tell family members. So it’s just a bit odd, because it’s not something you generally talk about.”
As the documentary went on air on January 18, 2022, there has been an outpouring of support, with many calling Singh’s empathy and strength an inspiration. In a way, it was yet another example of the determination and positivity that this true ‘Lancashire lass’ has been exhibiting since childhood.
Born in Preston into a Sikh family, she lost her father at an early age. She was able to secure a place in a private school in Kirkham, thanks to a government scholarship. Her determination to justify the faith put in her would pave the way for her subsequent success.
Before joining ITV in 2012, Singh spent 12 years at the BBC where she was a producer, reporter and presenter on both regional and national radio and television. She made her name as the anchor of the much loved regional news programme North West Tonight, alongside the legendary Gordon Burns, and won the ‘Best On Screen Talent’ accolade at the Royal Television Society’s North West Awards in 2010.
Her public prominence ascended to a whole new level once she joined BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, which took her all the way to the semi-finals.
She left the dance show bathed in a new found love and respect from her admirers. Paired with professional partner Giovanni Pernice, she wowed both the judges and viewers with her fancy footwork.
Incidentally, she also met her boyfriend Louis Church, a TV production secretary 18 years her junior, backstage at Strictly.
Singh’s career as a journalist has already been on an upward trajectory, but the success on Strictly propelled her to become one of the highest paid presenters on ITV, with the channel reportedly offering a deal ‘as good as a golden handcuffs’ to extend her contract, which would see her hosting a variety of programmes across the channel.
She is set to host an upcoming daytime gameshow, which will air this year. Singh has received much acclaim especially for her sensitive live reporting from the ground, whether it’s the Grenfell Tower fire or the Westminster attack. She has also fronted several ITV primetime factual series, including Eat, Shop, Save, Real Stories with Ranvir Singh and All Around Britain.
She studied English and philosophy at Lancaster University and completed a postgraduate qualification in journalism from the University of Central Lancashire, where she now serves as the chancellor.