As Dr Ranj Singh explores Peak District properties on Celebrity Escape to the Country, here we look at the TV doctor’s life
Dr. Ranj Singh signed up for Escape to the Country for a more peaceful life away from London (Image: Jeff Spicer/BAFTA, Getty Images for BAFTA)
Dr Ranj Singh has been on-screen for nearly 15 years, but away from his showbiz career, life hasn’t always been clean cut for the star.
Fans can see the TV doctor this weekend as a guest on Escape to the Country, the programme devoted to assisting potential homebuyers in discovering their perfect countryside retreat, n a special celebrity episode.
The celebrity instalment is being repeated on Sunday, June 28 at 7:30pm on BBC One and sees expert Denise Nurse guiding Dr Ranj, equipped with a £550,000 budget, as he leaves behind city living for a more tranquil existence in and around the Peak District.
Accompanying the former This Morning star on his house-hunting adventure is his friend and artist Tom Wolski, as they venture through the picturesque region and even debate which profession is tougher – doctor or vet.
One particular property left Dr Ranj utterly stunned, as he exclaimed: “Oh, look at that! Oh, my word. Wow! It is a castle! Wow! I was impressed with the other places, but this is something else.”
Dr Ranj was rendered even more astonished when attempting to estimate the mystery property’s asking price. He predicted it would fetch £700,000, yet the property was actually listed at £550,000, reports Kent Live.
The former Strictly Come Dancing star had previously offered peeks inside the two-bedroom flat he owned in London, situated “above a roundabout”.
Showcasing the stylish monochrome interior design and personal flourishes celebrating his television achievements, including BAFTA Award certificates and an enormous framed photograph from his involvement in Loose Women’s Body Stories campaign.
Growing up in Kent
Before swapping London for a quieter rural life, Dr Ranj Singh, 46, was born in Chatham and raised in a traditional Sikh household in Medway, Kent.
Demonstrating his remarkable ability from an early age, the self-confessed “geek” attended Gordon Junior School in Strood and achieved his first GCSE at just eight years old.
Dr. Ranj left Kent to pursue his studies at a London university, where he embarked on his medical career, training at various hospitals across the capital before becoming a member of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health in 2007.
He has worked alongside some of London’s most prestigious hospitals, including St Thomas’ Hospital, Evelina Children’s Hospital, and Medway Maritime Hospital.
During his appearance on Strictly 2018, partnered with Janette Manrara and eliminated in week seven, he said: “I like to study and study things until I get it right and I’m hoping that attention to detail in learning will help me pick stuff up, but what I’ve learned is that learning movement is totally different to learning information, so I don’t know what it’s going to be like.”
Dr Ranj is also an established author, with his debut non-fiction children’s book, How to Grow up and Feel Amazing, shooting straight into the Sunday Times bestseller chart.
Dr Ranj’s ‘coming out’ to ex-wife
Ranj tied the knot with Sulvinder Samra in 2006 during his twenties, before ultimately coming out as gay after six years of marriage, which resulted in their divorce in 2011.
He revealed: “I was married and obviously that relationship broke down and then it was dealing with everybody else, friends and family. It happened when I’d got to where I was thought I was supposed to be,” reports The Mirror.
“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 percent happy? Why does it still feel like something’s not right? And that’s when therapy brought all of that stuff out,” he told The Big Issue.
The presenter discovered through therapy that he was not “the person I thought I should be or thought I was going to be”.
“This perfect life that you’ve imagined and hoped for and dreamt of and worked towards isn’t your perfect like,” he added.
Dr. Ranj is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ rights, particularly within minority communities, and as a recipient of the Attitude TV award in 2019, he noted that people from “ethnic minorities, people of color, or LGBT people are still at a slight disadvantage”.
The doctor has also found happiness with new partner James Colebrook, an actor, model, personal trainer, and co-host of the Bunny and the Beast podcast alongside drag performer Bunny Galore.
Colebrook graduated from Laine Theatre Arts performing arts college in 2017, and has since featured in various stage productions, including Game Night at the West End’s Wonderville venue.
Dr Ranj’s episode of Escape to the Country originally aired in December 2023 but will be broadcast again on Sunday, June 28 at 7:30pm on BBC One.
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