Who is Ranvir Singh, the first presenter to replace Piers Morgan at Good Morning Britain?

Good Morning Britain's Ranvir Singh was the first presenter to fill the seat recently vacated by Piers Morgan.

She has been with the show since 2014 and is its political editor and deputy presenter.

Aside from her work at GMB, she is best known for reaching the finals of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing programme in 2020 with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice. Her Twitter biography states simply: "Define your own success."

Morgan would usually have co-hosted the show with Susanna Reid, but left the programme after storming off Tuesday's show amid a row with weatherman Alex Beresford over his comments about Meghan Markle's Oprah Winfrey interview.

A statement released by ITV on Tuesday said: "Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain.

"ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."

GMB acknowledged Morgan's absence, with Reid saying the programme would be "very different" without him, but said "the show goes on".

Opening Wednesday’s broadcast, Reid said: “Piers and I have disagreed on many things and that dynamic was one of the things viewers loved about the programme.

“He is without doubt an outspoken, challenging, opinionated, disruptive broadcaster. He has many critics and he has many fans. You will know that I disagreed with him about Meghan’s interview."

Singh responded "well said" after Reid said there were "many voices" on GMB.

It has not yet been revealed who the permanent replacement for Morgan will be. As well as Singh, other presenters connected to the show include Ben Shephard, Alex Beresford, Adil Ray and Richard Madeley.

Ranvir Singh and Giovanni Pernice compete in Strictly Come Dancing. Reuters

During the show, Singh spoke about a poll suggesting a lack of interest from younger people in the royal family.

She said: "The Queen's popularity does not actually filter down now to anybody else in the family.

"That, for the future of the monarchy, is an extremely huge problem is it not?

"I think this interview has certainly lifted the lid on the fact we are paying millions of pounds to essentially a facade."

She also interviewed Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell.

Singh is from Preston, Lancashire and is Sikh. She was educated at Kirkham Grammar School and the University of Lancaster.

She started her career at BBC Radio Lancashire in 2002, presented BBC North West Tonight from 2005 before switching to ITV in 2012 after returning from maternity leave.

Her former teacher at Kirkham, Adrian Long, wrote in the school's newsletter that Singh was one of the most prominent alumni and had left Strictly Come Dancing "bathed in the love and respect of the nation".

He said millions of viewers had “warmed to her engaging, modest and down-to-earth personality as she uncovered hitherto undiscovered talents”.

He described her as “not a typically privately educated child” and said she was startled by the prosperous homes and lifestyles of some fellow pupils. But he said she was determined to justify the faith shown in her with the awarding of a scholarship.

Singh replied to the ringing endorsement: “Blimey. Thanks Mr Long.”

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

Teaching in coronavirus times

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Company%20Profile

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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

Anna and the Apocalypse

Director: John McPhail

Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton

Three stars

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.