The family of Dr Ranj Singh's ex-wife has spoken about the lasting heartbreak they experienced after he left his marriage and came out as gay. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant was married to Sulvinder, the eldest of Jemera and Manmohan Samra's four daughters.
Mr Samra, 68, told the Daily Mail: 'A lot of years have passed but whenever I see him on television, I either turn it off, switch channels or just walk out of the room. He still brings back a lot of painful memories for me.' He added that the split had a 'devastating impact' on the family, saying: 'We never expected anything like this would happen and if I'm being honest, it's something that is still a little difficult for me.'
Reflecting on his reaction when a grandchild recognised Dr Ranj on television, Mr Samra said: 'One of my grandchildren happened to be watching Strictly and got excited when she saw him on television. She said "look, there's Dr Ranj." All the kids recognise him. I didn't have the heart to tell her that he was once part of our family, and just walked out of the room.'
Dr Ranj, 39, has previously spoken about the difficulty of coming out to his wife, describing it as 'the toughest moment of my life'. He said: 'I was completely broken. It was the lowest point in my life. I can only imagine how hard it was for my wife, though – she didn't deserve any of that. I feel so incredibly sorry for what she had to go through.' He also discussed the pressure to settle down and have a family, which contributed to his decision to marry.
The TV doctor, who appears on This Morning, also addressed the challenges of being gay within the medical profession. He said: '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.'
