Born:
June 26, 1979
in
Medway, Kent,
Best Known For:
Being a TV medic.
Early-life:
Ranjit Singh was born in Medway, Kent, in 1979. He comes from quite a traditional Indian Sikh background and says that although his parents could be strict, their main priority was ensuring that Ranj and his brothers had all the opportunities they didn't. He went on to study medicine, and initially planned to become a GP, but instead found himself drawn to paediatrics after training at a number of London hospitals.
Career:
After appearing on TV as a medical expert, Ranj came up with the idea for a health show for children and pitched it to his friend and fellow choir member Simon Hickson (of one-time Saturday morning kids' TV duo Trevor and Simon), who set up a meeting for him at a production company. The result was the award-winning CBeebies show Get Well Soon, which ran for three years. Since then, Ranj has combined medicine with a media career, appearing on shows including Good Morning Britain, This Morning and Save Money: Lose Weight. In 2018, he competed on Strictly Come Dancing and was the sixth celebrity to be eliminated.
Quote:
On attitudes towards his sexuality: "The media industry is much more accepting, but I feel like the medical world has a little further to go. It's a bit ironic that the caring profession could ever be prejudiced, but it does happen."
Trivia:
Ranj was such a Strictly fan that he admits he'd been asking his agent to put him forward for the show for seven years before he finally got the call.