She’s known for quizzing politicians and reading the headlines on Good Morning Britain.
But viewers will see a whole new side to Ranvir Singh as she appears on celebrity gameshow The Box, hosted by Gary Lineker.
The presenter, 49, has said the experience pushed her ‘out of her comfort zone’ and was life-changing, as she overcame her fear of water.
‘Being on an entertainment show is very different to being obviously in news. The whole thing was out of my comfort zone. But I couldn’t have wished for a better experience actually,’ she told the Daily Mail at the ITV show’s launch event.
Speaking about overcoming her fear of water, and how it helped her bond more with her son Tushaan, 14, she said: ‘I’ve got a son who is very active and loves the water; he’s a little fish really, he just loves it, but you know he’s always tried to encourage me to try and go out into the water.
‘I really hate anything where I can’t touch the… It’s not that I hate it, I actually can’t do it right, so on our holiday after The Box, it was the first time that I’ve had the courage to do it.
Viewers will see a whole new side to Ranvir Singh as she appears on celebrity gameshow The Box, hosted by Gary Lineker
The presenter, 49, has said the experience pushed her ‘out of her comfort zone’ and was life-changing, as she overcame her fear of water
‘Even though I’ve got a life jacket on, but the life jacket with a phobia is just something that can save my life, it doesn’t solve my phobia if you see what I mean. So it was the first time that I’ve actually snorkelled with him out in the sea.
‘It was amazing. He was so proud of me. I was glad for him that he could see me conquer my fear. So it’s definitely changed how I approach my life. It’s opened up doors.
‘I feel really proud of myself.’
Ranvir shares Tushaan with her ex-husband Ranjeet Singh Dehal, who she secretly split with when she was seven months pregnant.
She is currently dating Louis Church, who is 18 years her junior, after meeting him when he worked behind-the-scenes during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing.
Elsewhere, Ranvir said she hopes her colleagues, including Kate Garraway and Richard Madeley, will be surprised at her performance on the show.
She said: ‘I hope they’re surprised. I’m usually quite composed and know what I’m doing
‘Also, the problem slightly is that when you are a journalist, you’re expected to know stuff and have the answers, or you can certainly find the answer out. So it’s very discombobulating for me from my day job to have no briefing notes.’
Ranvir is currently dating Louis Church, who is 18 years her junior, after meeting him when he worked behind-the-scenes during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing
Ranvir, who has worked on GMB for over 12 years, added that while she might have interviewed her The Box co-stars, if it hadn’t been for the show, they never would have become friends.
‘We just really got to know each other; that’s like a lovely experience which we never get time to sit with a bunch of people who in your normal daily life we would never work together because our paths just don’t cross.
‘I probably would interview everybody here on TV for my job, but you don’t get to properly get to know people, so it’s really nice.’
On the show, Ranvir, alongside nine other celebrities, will be sealed inside yellow boxes and dropped into mystery locations where they face unpredictable physical, mental and logical challenges with little to no instruction.
Asked about her strategy on the show, Ranvir said: ‘I suppose I was never really seen as a threat. I wasn’t the fastest. I never fully understood the game.
‘I’m not especially competitive. I was much more interested in enjoying the experience. Some of the others were incredibly competitive, they were absolutely determined to eliminate each other.’
Touted as a replacement for Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, each episode of The Box concludes with ‘The Duel’, an elimination showdown where two players face off.
Asked about this being the first time hosting a big entertainment show, Lineker said: ‘It’s different – it’s something I’ve never done before, which appealed to me, alongside the unique nature of the concept.’
Lineker signed the huge deal with ITV after leaving the BBC last year following an anti-semitism row.
The former Match of the Day presenter was axed after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video which featured an emoji of a rat, with critics accusing him of promoting a familiar anti-Semitic slur.
He later ‘apologised unreservedly’ for his actions, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol and added: ‘I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for.’
He said that stepping down from his role with the BBC – where he was once the highest paid star – was ‘the responsible course of action’.
The Box begins Saturday, September 5 on ITV1 and ITVX.
