Rav Wilding, a familiar face on BBC's Morning Live and Crimewatch Live, has had a career spanning over two decades in broadcasting. The 48-year-old presenter from Kent also appeared on The One Show, Helicopter Heroes, Frontline Fightback, and Scam Interceptors. In 2009, he competed on Strictly Come Dancing with partner Aliona Vilani, but was eliminated third. Before television, Wilding had a very different career, including serving in the British Army, working as a security guard at Harrods, and later as a police officer with the British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police.
Transition to Television
Wilding's police work led to his TV career. While still an officer, he began presenting on Crimewatch in 2004 and later on Crimewatch Live (formerly Crimewatch Roadshow). He resigned from the police force in February 2008 to focus on television. Besides presenting and Strictly, he appeared on celebrity editions of The Weakest Link, Ready Steady Cook, and Celebrity Mastermind. In 2010, he filmed Remembrance Week for the BBC in Afghanistan, where he witnessed a bomb blast that killed a soldier. He now regularly hosts Morning Live alongside Helen Skelton and has revealed he is dyslexic and dyspraxic.
Romantic Relationships
Wilding has had several high-profile relationships. In 2010, he dated Chantelle Houghton, winner of Celebrity Big Brother in 2006. They split a year later after a public argument, with Wilding reportedly telling friends he was "stitched up." A close friend told the Mirror: "Rav thought Chantelle could be a long-term love, but now he realises she wasn’t interested in him. Every time they went jogging or out on dates, there seemed to be photographers or stories in the media. He was being set up and is upset that he fell for it and got involved." After Chantelle, Wilding began a relationship with celebrity producer Jill Morgan in 2012. They married in 2017 in Barbados and have a young daughter. However, the pair separated in 2024. Wilding wrote: "For those asking questions myself and Jill amicably separated last year. Our focus is co-parenting our hugely loved and beautiful daughter."
Recent Romance with Co-Star
Wilding later dated his Morning Live co-star Rebecca Mason, a police detective specializing in online romance fraud and scams who appears on the show to offer crime advice. However, it was recently reported that the couple have now split. Morning Live airs on BBC One weekdays from 9.30am and on BBC iPlayer.
