The ex-wife of Dr. Ranj Singh has spoken out about their “messy and painful” divorce.
After seven years of marriage to Dr. Ranj, Sulvinder Samra was devastated to learn that her husband was gay and desired to end their union in order to seek relationships with men.
This week, Dr. Ranj talked about their breakup, adding that although their 2011 divorce “fell apart” his life, he found comfort in the LGBT community’s “chosen family.”
Sulvinder has now given her version of events, stating that she struggled with feeling “unattractive, ashamed, and not good enough” and that it took years for her to recover from her husband’s betrayal.
Sulvinder, who currently works as a nervous system coach for women, posted a sorrowful montage of old photos on Instagram on Thursday to commemorate what would have been her 20th wedding anniversary.
“I thought my life would go as planned,” she revealed. Put in a lot of effort. Obtain a degree. Obtain employment. Look for a companion. Get hitched. Have children. Rather, I went through a difficult and messy divorce.
When the Strictly star came out as gay and broke their seven-year marriage, Dr. Ranj Singh’s ex-wife said she felt “unattractive, ashamed, and dead inside.”
After seven years of marriage to Dr. Ranj, Sulvinder Samra’s world fell apart when she learned that her husband was gay and wanted to end their union.
Sulvinder claimed that she entered into problematic relationships because she “carried the beliefs from a failed marriage,” saying, “I could not trust anyone.” “I didn’t believe in myself,” she remembered. “I thought I wouldn’t make a good mother, I’m not good in relationships, and I didn’t deserve to be happy.”
Sulvinder also gave up her desire of becoming a mother since she couldn’t find a spouse, saying, “I accepted that I would only be an aunt.” that I was not going to have kids.
Yet 12 years after their divorce Sulvinder realised she needed to turn her life around and ‘made a leap of faith’ by abandoning her work as a pharmacist.
After that, she received additional training to become a nervous system coach, a wellness specialist who assists clients in controlling their autonomic nervous system to lessen long-term stress, recover from trauma, and develop resilience.
Sulvinder started to rebuild her life after she had “taken back her power,” but she was devastated to learn that her sister had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
Sulvinder clarified, “She became my priority.” And I saw real bravery. Love manifests itself in various ways. My family is everything to me.
“So don’t let the past dictate your future,” Sulvinder said in closing. Every day is a decision. Nobody else has the power to decide what your tale will be.
Sulvinder has now given her version of events, stating that she struggled with feeling “unattractive, ashamed, and not good enough” and that it took years for her to recover from her husband’s betrayal.
Sulvinder revealed that she engaged into toxic partnerships because she “carried the beliefs from a failed marriage.”
“I grew up being told that I must set a good example, get a good education, a good job, and an Indian husband,” she said as the description for the photo. “It was a strict upbringing and the responsibility felt heavy.” I considered college to be a way out.I met my future spouse, got a job as a pharmacist, graduated, and began a married life after some disobedience.Life as a married couple was difficult, and eventually the cracks appeared. I will state that when a marriage ended, both sides were in pain, and a divorce was the necessary course of action. There is no lonelier sensation than being alone in a marriage. I grieved. It was heavy because both the future I believed I had and the person I believed I had married had vanished.
“I questioned everything.” I felt so ugly. I felt embarrassed. I felt inadequate, and even though I had spent my entire life trying to get away from my roots, I no longer felt at home in London. I returned home because it seemed secure, therefore I followed my instincts. worked diligently. delighted others. enjoyed the touch on the head. But then the bitterness intensified. I never saw the symptoms of burnout until it was too late.
I then turned forty-five. “Is this it?” I wondered. Will my life be like this?
I was unbalanced. It was all labor. I was miserable. It was eating away at me. I needed change so badly, but I had no idea how to get it. Thus, it began with the exterior. How I seemed. As soon as I began to shift, so did my surroundings. I quit because the work was unchanged and no longer a good fit. In an instant, I established a company. I should schedule my work around my life rather than the other way around. I could be more in the moment.
The major changes have actually occurred when I’ve worked on my emotions and dismantled old ideas. I am more than sufficient, I realize now. Everybody is. #divorce #drranj #vulnerable #womenwhorise.
However, 12 years after their divorce, Sulvinder “took a leap of faith” by leaving her position as a pharmacist after realizing she needed to change her life.
Sulvinder started to rebuild her life after she had “taken back her power,” but she was devastated to learn that her sister had an aggressive form of cancer.
“I never intended for these words to be my narrative.” It would have been my twentieth wedding anniversary today.
I assumed everything in my life would go according to plan. Put in a lot of effort. Obtain a degree. Obtain employment. Look for a companion. Get hitched. Have children. Rather, I went through a difficult and messy divorce.
I made an effort to accept my new existence. I traveled and had a great time. However, I allowed my past to control my present. Relationships that shielded my heart were the ones I picked. I was unable to let anyone in.
“Because I was holding onto beliefs from a failed marriage.” I was unable to trust anyone. I had no faith in myself. I held the belief that I was unworthy of happiness, that I wouldn’t make a decent mother, and that I wasn’t good in relationships. I made a concerted effort to ignore the emotions. I tried to numb the agony in whatever way I could. I pretended on the outside. I appeared fine. But on the inside, I felt lifeless. I believed that my past was beyond my control because I’m not good enough. My suppressed emotions would come back. Seeing the pattern took a while. seeking confirmation from outside sources.
“Needing to please.” Control is necessary.I came to terms with the fact that I would only be an aunt. that I was not going to have kids. that I have to defend myself at any costs. Then, three years ago, everything got too much. I was unable to suppress the emotions. I had to make a decision. I began improving myself every day. carrying out the challenging tasks. At that point, everything began to shift.
“I confronted my fears.” The humiliation is no longer with me. I decided to take a risk. I resumed my authority and quit my employment. I made the decision to choose wisely. It’s difficult to think I’m sufficient. Then, as soon as I launched my company, my entire world was upended. An aggressive type of cancer was identified in my lovely sister. My top priority became her. And I saw real bravery. Love manifests itself in many ways. Don’t let the past control your future because family is everything to me. Every day is a decision. Nobody else has the power to decide what your tale will be.
Sulvinder’s post followed Dr. Ranj’s contemplation of their divorce this week.
After getting married to Sulvinder in 2005, the TV doctor—who was well-known due to his frequent appearances on the daytime programs This Morning and Morning Live—thought he had it all.
The wedding, which was a traditional Sikh ceremony, took place at the same time as Ranj’s career as an NHS clinician with a focus on pediatric emergency medicine was taking off.
Despite the successful life he had created for himself, Dr. Ranj, 46, needed therapy to realize he wasn’t “the person I thought I should be or thought I was going to be.”
He told the Big Issue, “I had the career I’d always wanted, and I always wanted a home of my own.”I had checked every box. The main query was, “Why am I still not completely satisfied?”
Why does it feel like something is still off? And that’s when all of that stuff came out in therapy.
Before coming out to his wife in 2009, Dr. Ranj, who was reared in a Sikh home, claimed that everything seemed to be “fracturing and then falling apart.”
“This perfect life that you’ve imagined, hoped for, dreamed of, and worked towards isn’t your perfect life,” he continued. “I was married and obviously that relationship broke down and then dealing with everybody else, friends and family.”
Luckily, his brothers encouraged and supported him, calling his unburdening “a beautiful moment.”
Jemera Samra, Sulvinder’s father, broke the family’s silence in 2018 after realizing they still hadn’t moved past what had transpired when his ex-son-in-law competed on Strictly Come Dancing.
“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,” Jemera stated in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail. The marriage and the reasons behind their divorce had a terrible effect on all of us, and he still reminds me of many unpleasant memories. We never anticipated something like this would occur, and to be honest, I still find it challenging. Obviously, I’ve come to terms with it, but it’s still difficult.
After discovering his “chosen family” within the LGBTQ community, the TV doctor is currently dating actor James Colebrook (seen in January).
After the clinician graduated from Guy’s, King’s, and St. Thomas’ School of Medicine in 2003, Sulvinder met him. They dated for a year before he proposed.
In 2005, the pair tied the knot in a traditional Sikh ceremony, which was followed by a Western registry and a lavish evening banquet.
The Colwich Hall Hotel, a beautiful Georgian pile and Lord Byron’s ancestral home situated on 60 acres of parkland on the outskirts of Nottingham, is listed as the site on their wedding certificate.
The pair relocated to London and settled into a £500,000 apartment in southeast London’s East Dulwich.
But once Sulvinder returned to Nottinghamshire and Dr. Ranj gradually came to terms with his sexuality, the partnership fell apart. In 2011, they got divorced.
After discovering his “chosen family” among the LGBTQ community, the TV doctor and actor James Colebrook announced their love on Instagram in 2025.
“It felt like my wings finally unfolding and then taking off,” he said to the Big Issue of being accepted by the LGBT community.
Yes, I am aware of how corny that sounds, but there isn’t any way to put it. In the LGBT+ community, I was able to locate my tribe and chosen family, discover and celebrate my identity, and truly pursue my hobbies.
