TV’s Dr Ranj Singh has praised ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ bosses for casting a diverse range of stars for this year’s series.
The ‘This Morning’ medic, who is one of the celebrities taking to the floor, believes the new line-up should be praised for including a wide range of people, following criticism from some viewers about the lack of big name signings.
Dr Ranj previously revealed his hopes same-sex partners would be included on the series, and while this has turned out not to be the case, he still believes it is “really important” to celebrate the diversity among the cast.
Speaking to HuffPost UK and other journalists at the series press launch, he said: “We are a really diverse bunch. There aren’t many shows on TV that will showcase this amount of diversity. I think that’s really important to recognise.
“You’ve got different backgrounds, you’ve got men, women, you’ve got people of colour, you’ve got LGBT+ people. It’s great. That’s something we should celebrate.”
Dr Ranj is also still pinching himself at being asked to take part alongside the like of Paralympian Lauren Steadman, actor Danny John-Jules and newsreader Kate Silverton, describing ‘Strictly’ as his “dream show”.
She said: “I’ve been a fan of the show for ages, whenever anyone ever asked me, ‘What would be the one show that would be your dream to do?’ I say, ‘It’s this one’.
“I couldn’t quite believe when the call came through that it was actually happening - I was not ready, I was not prepared for it. But I’m so super glad I’m here. I’m a proper fan boy inside most of the time.”
Ranj, who identifies as gay, previously told The Mirror of his hope to dance with a man on the show.
He said: “I would love to dance with a same-sex partner. I would value a time when same-sex couples could dance on shows like ‘Strictly’.
’It is incredibly important. We are making progress but I think there is still time to go.”
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ kicks off tonight at 7.35pm on BBC One.