Reality TV Star Reveals Coming Out to His Wife Shattered His ‘Perfect Life’—’I Was Married And…’

Former This Morning host, Dr Ranj Singh, 46, reflected on the breakdown of his marriage after coming out as gay at around 30 years old. The reality TV star, who grew up in a traditional Indian Sikh household, married Sulvinder Samra in 2005. The pair legally parted ways in 2011 after the Strictly Come Dancing star opened up about his s*xuality to his ex-wife.

Now, Dr Ranj said that the life-changing realization surfaced during therapy, when he was trying to figure out why he was not happy despite having achieved everything he ever wanted.

The former reality TV star shared that he first came out as gay to a friend at around 30 years old, before sharing the news with his then-wife and family.

“I was married, and obviously that relationship broke down, and then it was dealing with everybody else, friends and family,” Dr Ranj told the Big Issue, reports the Independent. He shared that therapy made him realize that he was “not the person I thought I should be or thought I was going to be.”

Reflecting on the moment, the TV medic said that it felt like “everything fracturing and then falling apart.”

Dr Ranj added that he realized then that the perfect life and future that he hoped for and worked towards is not truly “perfect.”

In 2018, Dr Ranj appeared on the BBC‘s Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant. Although he was paired with the professional dancer Janette Manrara, he lobbied to be paired up with a man, two years before the show included same-s*x couples.

During his appearance on the dance reality show, Dr Ranj’s ex-father-in-law slammed him publicly.

Talking to MailOnline at the time, Mr Samra said that his daughter’s divorce from the former Morning Live presenter had a “devastating impact” on the family, and called it the “lowest point” of his life. He added that he could not bear to watch Dr Ranj on TV, sharing that he either switches channels, turns the television off, or leaves the room when he appears on the screen.

“We knew they were having some problems about two years into the marriage, but didn’t really know the full extent of what was going on,” Mr Samra said at the time.

Dr Ranj responded, saying the breakdown was “heartbreaking for all involved,” but he has “nothing but respect” for his ex-wife and her family.

Dr Ranj grew up in a traditional Indian Sikh household, where homos*xuality was a rare discussion. In a 2015 interview with Attitude, the former resident medic on This Morning said that while coming out to his wife was difficult, revealing his s*xuality to his family was “on another level.”

To his surprise, his brothers reacted positively, and his friends were “equally amazing.”

Dr Ranj is currently in a relationship with actor James Colebrook. The couple went Instagram official on New Year’s Day 2025. In the photos, the pair is seen sharing a kiss. Dr Ranj captioned the post, calling it a “hard launch” and describing 2025 as “starting the way it was meant to be.”