The ex-wife of Dr Ranj Singh has recalled their “messy” divorce after the TV medic came out as gay.
The former This Morning star, 46, made the realisation about his sexuality aged 30 while in therapy. He was living with his wife, Sulvinder Samra, of seven years at the time.
He came out to Samra in 2009, with the couple divorcing in 2011.
On what would have been their 20th wedding anniversary, Samra addressed their “painful” break-up in an Instagram post shared on Friday (29 May).
Samra said that the split led her to believe that she “did not deserve happiness” and that she would not be a “good mum”.
“I grew up being told that I must set a good example, get a good education, a good job, and an Indian husband,” she wrote. “When it ended, both parties were hurting, and a divorce was the only option. I mourned. It was heavy because the future I thought I had was gone and the person that I thought I had married was gone as well.
“I questioned everything. I felt extremely unattractive. I was ashamed. I believed I was not good enough.”
“On the outside, I was pretending,” she continued. “I looked fine but I felt dead inside because I’m not good enough.”
The turning point came three years ago, when Samra sought out to “face her fears” and “took a leap of faith” in quitting her job.
She went on to recall how her sister’s cancer diagnosis also led to a shift in priorities as she witnessed “true bravery”.
“Don’t let the past dictate your future,” Samra urged her followers. “You get to choose what your story is going to be… no one else.”
Samra and Dr Ranj Sing met in 2003, tying the knot in a traditional Sikh ceremony in 2006.
Earlier this week, the TV medic opened up about his coming out, telling The Big Issue: “I had the career I’d always wanted, I always wanted a home of my own. I’d ticked all my boxes. So the big question was, why am I still not 100 per cent happy? Why does it still feel like something’s not right? And that’s when therapy brought all of that stuff out.”
In 2018, Singh appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, where he lobbied to dance with a man, two years before the BBC show introduced same-sex couples.
He ended up performing with the show’s former professional-turned-It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara and was eliminated in the seventh week.
He is now in a relationship with the actor James Colebrook.
Earlier this year, Singh denied claims he had been sacked by Morning Live bosses, but said he was “unable” to appear on the BBC series.
He has been the show’s resident medic since 2020, but when viewers noticed he’d been absent for the past six months, it was speculated there were issues behind the scenes.
